Tag: Bible

God Invented Romance

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

Marriage is central to the storyline of the Bible. From its earliest chapters, we see that God created the man and the woman for each other and told them to “Be fruitful and multiply.” The marital union of two becoming one flesh has been there from the beginning, and it has a special purpose in God’s world.

The story of the Bible both begins and ends with wedding imagery (Genesis 2:22-25; Revelation 21:1-5). Marriage is God’s living illustration for His covenantal union with His people, which will one day be fully realized in a restored creation when Heaven and Earth unite.

So, no matter what pops into your mind when you hear the word “marriage,” the first thing to know is that God invented it.

“Then the Lord God made a woman... and he brought her to the man.” (Genesis 2:22, NIV)

This has some important implications. If marriage is God’s idea, then that means romantic love is His idea, too.

Every Good Gift

That first spark of interest a boy has for the cute girl that sits across the classroom. The feeling you get when your song comes on the radio. The dinner by candlelight in that perfect setting. The couple that has been married for 50 years taking a walk, hand in hand. The electricity of a first kiss. The love note that a wife puts in her husband’s lunchbox. All of that is part of God’s grand design. God is a romantic. If you doubt me, I encourage you to take up and read the biblical book Song of Solomon.

You may be thinking, “Okay, Jason. It seems like you’ve got rose-tinted glasses on. Don’t forget marriage can also be pretty hard.”

True. But it’s important to begin here when we think about romance, because all that is good about marriage, romantic affection, and sexual intimacy comes first and foremost from God.

Many today bemoan God’s restrictions on sex and marriage laid out in the Bible. But what they don’t realize is that everything that makes those romantic moments in life beautiful, good, and right comes from God.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 
(James 1:17, NIV)

Without God, all the joy and excitement of romance is reduced to random neurochemical reactions. Modern progressives like to claim that monogamy is drab and boring. Don’t buy that lie! You know what really takes the magic out of romance? Imagining there is no God behind it all.

Fit for One Another

If we’re going to get marriage right, we need to go back to the beginning when God first created man and woman.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 
(Genesis 2:18, ESV)

Don’t think that this term “helper” is meant to be demeaning. This is not code for “man’s servant for cooking and cleaning.” The point here is that the man needs help. He can’t take care of God’s world without her. More than anyone else, this very word “helper” is used of God in Scripture. But the Bible says God created woman with the intention of finding the right fit for man.

In God’s design for marriage, one man and one woman complement each other perfectly. Men and women are equally valuable, but different. There is a fittedness between a man and a woman that you can’t find in any other combination.

After God parades all the animals before Adam, Adam recognizes nobody here is a good fit. Not that kangaroo. Not that horse. Definitely not that hippo! Nothing from the animal kingdom matches and complements him perfectly.

No matter how many times you’ve read this passage before, I encourage you to ponder what is said here:

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. 
(Genesis 2:21-25, ESV)

Before there was any sin in the world, this is what marriage looked like. The perfect combination of trust, vulnerability, and intimacy. This was God’s design and intention. So, no matter what you think of marriage, you can’t fault the design. You cannot improve on God’s design.

Be Intoxicated with Her Love

So, when you think of God, think of Him as the One who invented the beauty of marriage and designed our bodies with the special fit of a man for a woman. The joy of a wedding ceremony is just a slice of the great joy God has over marriage itself.

Because marriage is something God thought up, we don’t get to change it. And because it is from Him, we can know it is an intrinsically good institution.

In our bizarro world, people (especially young people) often assume that getting married will take all the romance out of the relationship. As if, committing to one another in a one-flesh covenantal union will kill the embers of love. But in God’s economy, it is in marriage that the fire of romance should finally be stoked.

May your fountain be blessed,
    and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer—
    may her breasts satisfy you always,
    may you ever be intoxicated with her love. 
(Proverbs 5:18-19, NIV)

According to the Bible, marriage is a covenant not merely between husband and wife, but one that includes God, too (Proverbs 2:17). It is God that joins the two together, and thus God blesses the marriage union. As if he was making a toast at a wedding, the author Solomon says to his son, “May you ever be intoxicated with her love.”

However—and this is important—only those who honor this covenant get to experience its greatest blessings. When people dishonor marriage, let me assure you, it will eventually come back around to bite them.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of heeding these loving warnings from God:

“Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
    Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
    and he examines all your paths.
The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
    the cords of their sins hold them fast.
For lack of discipline they will die,
    led astray by their own great folly.” 
(Proverbs 5:20-23, NIV)

When people toy with their marriage vows, it is like taking a pile of burning wood on to your lap or walking across hot coals, hoping not to be burned (Proverbs 6:27).

People may say things like, “The Bible is an outmoded text. Marriage can be a relationship for any two people who truly love each other and are committed to one another.”

But why say only two people? And what about if those two people are already in the same family? And why say they must love each other? What if they have other reasons for getting married? And why does it matter that they are committed exclusively to one another?

As it turns out, everyone has restrictions on what they think marriage should be. Elton John jokingly drew the line at goats when someone pressed him.[1]

Honoring Your Spouse Is Honoring Marriage

Unless you get your definition of marriage from Genesis, marriage becomes this elastic thing that you can shape any way you want. And when we shake off God’s definition and trade it in for our own man-made definition, we cheapen and dishonor marriage. It is no longer the sacred thing God intended it to be.

Even secular psychologists understand marriage is worth protecting.

Marriage expert John Gottman writes, “One of the saddest reasons a marriage dies is that neither spouse recognizes its value until it is too late.”[2]

Gottman goes on to tell us all the incredible psychological and health benefits that come from taking your marriage seriously. And one of the most important ways to protect your marriage is to pursue your spouse romantically (husbands, I’m especially talking to you here).

Pay attention to her (or his) needs. Listen well. Make time for date night. Look for activities you can share together. Go out of your way to make sure your spouse feels valued simply for who she (or he) is.

You may have been told that Christians are just as likely to get divorced as non-Christians. However, that hasty conclusion was based on flawed research, because it was based on people just taking the label “Christian,” without any inquiry into whether subjects actually lived a life committed to Jesus Christ. New research done by Brad Wilcox found something very different. Wilcox discovered that committed Christian couples—which he defined as those who regularly attend worship together and read their Bibles regularly—are much less likely to get divorced.

Not only are committed Christians more likely to stay married, but they report greater satisfaction in their marriages. Wilcox concluded, “It turns out that the happiest of all wives in America are religious conservatives… Fully 73 percent of wives who hold conservative gender values and attend religious services regularly with their husbands have high-quality marriages.” Another study found that “When it comes to relationship quality in heterosexual relationships, highly religious couples enjoy higher-quality relationships and more sexual satisfaction, compared to less/mixed religious couples and secular couples.”[3]

Nancy Pearcey adds, “Churchgoing men are also less likely to cheat on their wives. Research has consistently shown that religious attendance is the most important predictor of marital stability.”

In other words, even sociological research shows that when men love Jesus, love the Bible, and take their families to church, the marriage tends to do better. And when marriages are stronger, families are stronger, children have better well-being, society flourishes, nations are stabilized, and God is honored.

So, no matter how you may feel on any given day about marriage, I encourage you to see the value of upholding the sacred beauty of the marriage covenant and of loving your spouse as the sacred image bearer he or she is.

Thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] In context, Elton John said, “There’s nothing wrong with going to bed with somebody of your own sex. Who cares! I just think people should be very free with sex… They should draw the line at goats.” Rolling Stone magazine ran this interview with Elton John as its cover story on October 7, 1976.

[2] John Gottman, 7 Principles for Making Your Marriage Work, 5.

[3] Brad Wilcox, Jason Carroll, and Laurie DeRose, “Religious Men Can Be Devoted Dads, Too,” New York Times, May 18, 2018; Jeffrey Dew and Brian Willoughby, “Are Religious Faith and Sexual Satisfaction Mutually Exclusive–or Surprisingly Mutual?,” Institute for Family Studies, May 16, 2019.

A Gay Man Surrenders to Jesus

On By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life, Why I Believe2 Comments

“What about homosexuality? What is your church’s stance on it? Is it a sin or not?”

This is the question that Becket Cook, a Hollywood set designer, asked a young man studying his Bible at a coffee shop in Los Angeles. It wasn’t the first question he asked, but the young man’s friendly and thoughtful demeanor when Becket first approached him opened the door for the bigger question brewing below the surface.[1]

How would you respond to Becket’s question? Do you have an answer ready if someone asked this simple yet pointed question? In one sense, this might be the question of our generation: Is homosexuality a sin? Wherever you come down on this issue, I would urge you to think through what the Bible and your church believe about this. When asked directly if homosexuality is a sin, I have heard numerous Christian celebrities and pastors hedge and stumble through an answer. They don’t seem to realize that because of their influence, their non-answer only adds fuel to the fires of confusion. If you haven’t carefully prepared for when this question comes—and be assured it will—it could prove incredibly detrimental in your own life and the lives of those with whom you interact. Out of love for family and friends, we cannot afford to get this one wrong.

Embracing the Truth No Matter What

If homosexuality is a good and God-honoring practice, then we ought to be joining in all the pride parades, waving pride flags, and celebrating it along with the crowds. However, if the truth is that, despite increasing cultural approval, God’s Word reproves homosexuality as a distortion of God’s good design, we should humbly accept this. Whatever is true, we should embrace out of love for God and others.

Thankfully, the young man in the coffee shop was ready. Becket writes, “His answer didn’t shock me. He didn’t beat around the bush, and very matter-of-factly stated that both he and his church agreed homosexuality is indeed a sin.”[2] What a refreshingly clear response! No complex answer filled with a thousand qualifications. After calmly explaining the Bible’s teaching on the matter, he proceeded to invite Becket, who was openly homosexual, to his church.

Initially, Becket hated the thought of going to a church where homosexuality was condemned. And yet, something was pushing him to go anyway. Maybe it was the way this young man gently but firmly held to his convictions. Maybe the Lord was drawing Becket despite his atheism.

A Change of Affection

Somewhat reluctantly, Becket went to the church service and heard the pastor proclaim the gospel of God’s infinite love for broken sinners for the first time. He learned that God had come in human flesh and was known as Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus went to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins and rose from the dead in triumphant glory. This gospel touched Becket at the deepest level. After going forward for prayer, something happened in Becket’s heart.

“All of a sudden, a giant wave of God’s presence came crashing over me… I was utterly overwhelmed, and I started bawling uncontrollably.”[3]

Becket surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, when this happens, we are born again and become a child of God (John 1:12-13). We are made new inside.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

At conversion, God sovereignly gives us a new heart with new affections and desires, and He puts His Spirit within us, claiming us as His own.

“And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)

Along with a new and intense desire to honor God, Becket immediately came to understand God had a new direction for his life—one that included leaving his gay lifestyle in the dust.

“I had finally come to the realization that homosexual behavior was a distortion of God’s perfect design for human sexuality and flourishing… Surprisingly, I was perfectly fine with this realization. The complete reversal of my opinions and pursuits in this area worked like this: I had just met the King of the universe!… How could I hold on to anything that didn’t bring me closer to Him?”[4]

Only the living God could transform the way Becket looked at homosexuality and everything else. Today, as Becket says in his book A Change of Affection, he lives life free of guilt, free of what others think of him, and free of the fear of death. As he put it, he has met the King of the universe! What could possibly compare?

As Christians, we need to remember that every last one of us is sexually broken apart from Christ. Without His grace and wisdom, our desires are disordered and not in line with His perfect design. We all are desperate for His transforming work!

Embracing Christ and Forsaking Sin

In spite of powerful testimonies such as Becket’s, many in our world want to deny that this kind of change can happen in someone’s life. We have an enemy who is bent on deceiving people about the transforming power of Christ. He wants us to imagine that if one is “born this way,” they have no choice but to live according to their homosexual desires. But true life is found in saying no to anything that would conflict with God’s best.

While giving people designations according to sexual orientation, such as “gay” or “straight,” might be a modern concept, the Bible is concerned with the sexual practice itself. And the simple fact is that homosexual behavior is always viewed negatively in Scripture.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality; nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, ESV)

But praise God that’s not the end of the matter! After this clear warning on what marks the lives of those outside the kingdom, we are given this word of hope:

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (v. 11, emphasis added)

God cares about what we do with our bodies, and our bodies can only flourish according to His good design. To live contrary to His design, is to flout the authority of the Designer Himself.

Just like we cannot pour Gatorade into our vehicle’s fuel tank and not expect engine problems, we cannot ignore God’s stated design for human sexuality and not expect negative consequences.

Consider again how you would respond when asked what you believe about homosexuality. In that moment, will you be more concerned with the approval of others or the God who made us all? Just imagine if that young man in the coffee shop had told Becket he and his church had no problem with people living whatever way they wanted. What if the pastor had avoided preaching the gospel? How we speak about homosexuality really does matter, and God will hold us accountable. God used these men to draw Becket into the kingdom. He no longer identifies as a “gay man,” but as a child of God.

So let’s commit to speaking the truth of God’s Word with clear resolve, but also with a gentle and invitational love that says, “There’s room at the table for all who embrace Christ and forsake sin. I hope you’ll join us.”

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Becket Cook, A Change of Affection (Nashville: Nelson Books, 2019), 8.

[2] Ibid, 6.

[3] Ibid, 19.

[4] Ibid, 23.

Answering a Muslim’s Challenge to Jesus

On By Jason SmithIn Why I Believe1 Comment
Joram van Klaveren, author of Apostate

A Muslim friend of mind recently recommended I read the 2019 book Apostate: From Christianity to Islam in times of secularization and terror, written by the recently converted Muslim, Joram van Klaveren. The well-written book describes van Klaveren’s journey from Dutch Reformed Protestantism to Islam, from Christian to Muslim.

While there is much to agree with, my conclusion after reading the book is that van Klaveren has abandoned a Christianity that he never fully embraced. I mean that respectfully. Throughout the book, van Klaveren admits that he’s always had intellectual struggles with concepts like the Trinity, the dual natures of Christ, and the idea that divine forgiveness requires a blood sacrifice.

I love Muslims, so I wanted to read this book to better understand some of their objections. At the heart of the disagreement between Christians and Muslims is Jesus Himself—His person and work. My great desire is to see my Muslim friends come to know Jesus personally as their Lord and Savior.

But when I share the gospel of a crucified and risen Jesus, a dilemma immediately presents itself. The Quran—the text all Muslims believe is the revealed word of Allah (God)—declares that Jesus (Isa) never even died on a cross (Surah 4:157). Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet, but not the eternal Son of God. The Quran clearly states, “The Messiah son of Mary was no other than a messenger before whom similar messengers passed away, and his mother was a saintly woman” (5:75).[1]

Jesus: Prophet of Allah or Son of God?

In Apostate, van Klaveren lays out some of the nagging issues he had with Christian theology for many years, which eventually led him to outright reject the faith and convert to Islam. His biggest struggle is with the deity of Christ. He quotes Colossians 1 as saying Christ is “the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15, KJV). And then asks, “If Christ is created, has there then existed a time before he was created? God, however, is eternal.”[2]

Here, van Klaveren seems to have a misunderstanding about the incarnation of Christ. Christians have never believed that Christ is created. The New Testament repeatedly teaches that Christ is the Creator of all things. In fact, van Klaveren fails to quote the very next verse, which says that Christ is the Creator of all things (v. 16). I’ll quote the passage in context in the English Standard Version (ESV):[3]

“He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17, ESV)

His confusion seems to be rooted in his understanding of the King James translation of verse 15, which says, “He is the firstborn of every creature.”

Van Klaveren seems to think that “firstborn” indicates “first created.” But the Greek word prototokos (firstborn) does not mean “first created” one. We have to ask what Paul the Jew meant when he first wrote this. When we turn to the Old Testament, we find that “firstborn” certainly can mean simply “first one in birthing order.” But there is also a well-developed understanding of the “firstborn” as the one with a special status before God. For example, Moses tells Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22).

We also see the term taking on messianic significance when God speaks of David, who was a prototype of the Messiah. God says of David: “And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth” (Psalm 89:27, ESV). All this rich background to the term firstborn seems utterly lost on van Klaveren. Ironically, the very term Paul uses to emphasize Christ’s exalted status as Lord, he takes to mean “less than God.”

I can understand why van Klaveren would have questions about why Paul would call Jesus “the firstborn of creation.” But even without the Old Testament background on the term, if he simply read the passage in context, he would see that Paul is repeatedly emphasizing Jesus’s deity throughout. Christ created all things (v. 16). All things were created for Christ (v. 16). Christ is before all things, and He holds all things together (v. 17). In everything, Christ is to be preeminent (v. 18). In Christ, all the fullness of God dwells bodily (v. 19; 2:9). There’s really no escaping what Paul intended to teach: Jesus is the Creator God in human flesh.

Did Jesus Deny that He is Divine?

Rather than questioning the Bible’s accuracy, van Klaveren is convinced that the biblical Jesus denied He is God. He approvingly quotes Abdal Hakim Murad:

“In the Bible, Jesus sometimes appears explicitly to deny that he is Divine. Texts include, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone’ (Mark 10:18), and ‘The son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing’ (John 5:19).”[4]

Again, context is crucial to our understanding of what Jesus intended to convey. As we will see below, there are countless times that Jesus did affirm His own eternally divine nature. First, let’s consider the Mark 10 passage.

In context, Jesus is responding to a young rich ruler, who has just said, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17, ESV). Jesus responds with a question of His own, which He often did as a way of leading people to the truth. “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (v. 18). Notice that Jesus does not explicitly deny that He is God. He asks a question that corresponds to the man’s starting assumptions.

Jesus is leading this self-righteous young man to reevaluate his concept of goodness. Believing Jesus to be a wise teacher, the man is happy to consider Jesus “good.” He probably was willing to call many rabbis “Good Teacher.” He also considers himself good, asserting he has not broken any of the commandments since childhood (v. 20). But Jesus can see through his self-confident exterior. In reality, this young man worships money, not God. That is why Jesus calls him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor before following Him. The man is hoping to add Jesus to his wealth rather than come to Jesus as Lord and Savior. He is not yet recognizing his desperate position as a sinner accountable to a perfectly good God.

The other passage mentioned, John 5:19, does not deny Christ’s deity either. In fact, in this very passage Jesus clearly expresses His deity. Interestingly, Murad does not quote the whole verse, which reads:

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19, NIV)

When Jesus says, “the Son can do nothing by himself,” He is speaking about His obedience to the Father. According to the Bible, the plan of redemption originated in the Father, who sent the Son into the world to accomplish redemption. The Son, who is coequal and coeternal with God, is nevertheless functionally subordinate to the Father. That’s why Jesus frequently says He can do nothing apart from the Father’s will (e.g. John 6:38). This is a statement about their difference in roles, not difference in nature.

Murad cuts off Jesus’s statement that “whatever the Father does the Son also does” (v. 19). How could someone less than God be said to do whatever God does? In Apostate, van Klaveren argues that when Jesus is called “the son of God,” in the Jewish context that term didn’t suggest that He was literally divine, “but rather refers to an exalted status because of his exceptionality.”[5] But that’s only partially true. When Jesus spoke of God as “My Father” and Himself as “the Son,” He clearly taught His equality with God.

In the immediately preceding verses, we are told:

In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:17-18, ESV)

A little understanding of context goes a long way in clarifying many of Jesus’s statements. The Bible teaches that, as a man, the sinless Jesus was subject to many limitations such as being hungry, tired, thirsty, had to learn and grow, and was even subject to temptation. But that is with respect to Christ’s human nature. As God, Jesus could also make statements no mere man could make:

“For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” (John 5:21-23)
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40)
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

In terms of roles, the Father has the highest authority. That’s why Jesus can say, “I do not speak on my own authority” (John 14:10) and “the Father is greater than I” (v. 28). But at other times, Jesus speaks to their shared divine nature, such as when Jesus says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (v. 9) and “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me” (v. 11).

Furthermore, we cannot overlook all the times that Jesus received worship. In Scripture, godly men and angels always refuse to be worshiped (see Acts 10:26; 14:12-15; Revelation 19:10; 22:9), and wicked men like Herod seek to be worshiped as a god (Acts 12:21-23). So, how could Jesus be merely a man—especially a godly man—since He always welcomes worship?

And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:33, ESV; cf. Matthew 28:9)
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:28-29, ESV)

Is the Trinity a Late Invention?

Van Klaveren’s other main objection to Christianity seems to be that the doctrine of the Trinity is a confusing mystery and “intellectual impediment.” This is a common view among Muslims I have interacted with on college campuses. The Trinity is viewed as an obscure or nonsensical belief that was added into the Bible many years later.

Van Klaveren states that “the most evident Trinitarian reference” is 1 John 5:7-8, but this is a later addition to the original manuscripts. I found it interesting that van Klaveren, a self-proclaimed former Christian, would say this, because while it remains a common argument Muslim apologists make, it’s also a very outdated and unconvincing argument. Here’s what I mean. He is referring to the King James Version, which renders the verses:

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” (1 John 5:7-8, KJV)

Certainly, van Klaveren is right that the earliest manuscripts we have do not include “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one,” but instead only include “the Spirit, the water and the blood” as the three giving testimony. But nearly all our modern translations reflect what we find in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Furthermore, I don’t know of any Christian scholar who would appeal to 1 John 5:7-8 to make a case for the Trinity.

For example, in his 200-page book defending the Trinity, Christian apologist James White never even mentions 1 John 5:7-8.[6] Why? Because the New Testament as a whole is thoroughly Trinitarian. In other words, so many statements made by Jesus and the New Testament authors cannot be rightly understood apart from the doctrine of the Trinity. While the word “Trinity” is never found in the New Testament, the concept clearly is. The following facts can be gathered from a careful reading of the New Testament:

  1. There is only one God (John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5).
  2. God exists as three divine persons who share the same eternal divine nature (John 10:30; 14:9): the Father is God (1 Corinthians 8:6), the Son is God (John 1:1), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4).
  3. The Father is a distinct person from the Son (John 16:9), and both are distinct persons from the Holy Spirit (John 15:26).

When you put all three together, what do you get? There is one God who has eternally existed as three distinct, coequal, and coeternal persons. That is the definition of the Trinity. So, to say that the best reference to the Trinity is also a late addition to the Bible is misrepresenting the facts, and it fails to interact with the multitude of passages that so clearly teach God’s triune nature.

Truly Man, Truly God

The late Christian apologist, Nabeel Qureshi, has said that when he was a Muslim, he was taught that the Trinity was nothing but “veiled polytheism.”[7] But if you actually follow the history of how the Christian church came to understand God as Trinity, it’s clear that they were simply working out the implications of New Testament teaching. It should be added that from the earliest records outside the New Testament, the Christian church has always affirmed Jesus’s deity.

Writing around AD 107-110 (about 460 years before Muhammad was born), Ignatius wrote, “God appeared in human form to bring the newness of eternal life.”[8] This was long before the Arian controversy was settled at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. In AD 180, Irenaeus similarly affirmed that Jesus was “truly man” and “truly God.”[9]

While van Klaveren is right in one sense that the Trinity is a deep mystery we cannot fully grasp, that is not an argument against its veracity. After all, we are talking about the nature of the infinite Being. If God has revealed Himself as triune, who am I to say I won’t accept it simply because I cannot rationally comprehend it? We finite creatures are in no position to tell God what He can or cannot be like. Ultimately, only the Holy Spirit can reveal these truths to our hearts. As Paul wrote, “And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13, ESV).

The overwhelming testimony of the New Testament is that Jesus is the divine Messiah and Lord of the world. John could not have been clearer when he wrote:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-3, 14, ESV)

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] There are times when the Quran seems to misunderstand what Christians believe about the Trinity. In one passage, Allah asks, “O Jesus son of Mary! Did you say to people: ‘Take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah?’” (5:116). The Trinity that is refuted here includes Jesus, Mary, and Allah, and is a polytheistic group of three gods (“two gods besides Allah”). But this is not what Christians have historically taught about the Trinity.

[2] Joram van Klaveren, Apostate: From Christianity to Islam in times of secularization and terror (2019).

[3] I believe the ESV is a more accurate translation than the KJV for two important reasons: 1) It depends on the earliest and most reliable NT manuscripts, which were not available during the first publication of the KJV. 2) It uses language that strikes a balance of matching original word choice in Koine Greek with comprehensibility in modern English.

[4] Murad, 2013, quoted in van Klaveren, Apostate, 43.

[5] Van Klaveren, Apostate, 45.

[6] James R. White, The Forgotten Trinity (1998).

[7] “Nabeel Qureshi explaining the Trinity.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zc9ee08JeM Accessed on May 29, 2023.

[8] Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians, 19, quoted in Allison, Historical Theology.

[9] Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 4.6.7, in ANF, 1:469.

Photo from cover of Apostate by Imam Malik Islamic Centre, Leiden

The Power of the Word

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life, Why I BelieveLeave a comment

Micah Wilder is a former Mormon missionary who was powerfully transformed by Christ during his two-year mission trip in Florida. While a Mormon missionary, he was passionate to see everyone he met come to what he deemed “the one true church of Jesus Christ.” His great ambition was to convert a Baptist minister. Ironically, God used the love and patience of a Baptist minister to turn Micah’s world upside down.[1]

As Micah explains, “Much like Saul of Tarsus, I had a zeal for God, but that zeal was misplaced. I was ignorant of the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and I was seeking to establish my own righteousness by my works.”[2]

Micah thought of himself as a righteous young man, a deeply devout Elder in the LDS church. And yet, it was shortly after an encounter with a Baptist pastor named Alan Benson that his life began to radically shift. Pastor Alan lovingly challenged Micah to “read the New Testament like a child” and see that salvation is entirely the work of Christ. Determined to prove the minister wrong, Micah accepted the challenge and began reading the New Testament every day.

As Micah will tell you, it is the power of the Word of God itself that transformed his thinking, something every Christian ought to expect. Scripture claims to be God-breathed text and thus able to supernaturally work in hearts and lives.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13, ESV)

The Word of God has the power to cut right through to the heart, exposing our innermost thoughts and intentions. Micah has said, “In Christianity, it can be all too easy for us at times to focus so much on history, apologetics, and the intellectual side of the gospel that we forget the greatest tool we have: the Word of God.”[3]

Christians should never be ashamed of Scripture or think it is ineffective when sharing our faith. Many Christian apologists will encourage their fellow believers to set aside the Bible when interacting with unbelievers because they don’t accept it as divinely authoritative.[4] But the question is: Do you see the Bible as divinely authoritative? Do you believe it has the power to transform hearts that are hardened to the gospel?

A Rock-Breaking Hammer

Consider how Scripture speaks of itself:

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7, ESV)
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29, NIV)

While we cannot force people to believe through clever persuasion, the Word of God has the power to break through the hardest of hearts and humble the greatest sinners so that they see their need for Christ.

This doesn’t mean that sharing your faith should be reduced to quoting Bible verses. However, it’s important that you make clear from the beginning that your authority is the Word of God. It’s crucial that Christians challenge their unbelieving friends to get into the Word itself.

Martin Luther, the courageous Protestant Reformer, said this about Scripture:

“I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept [cf. Mark 4:26-29], or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything.”[5]

This is classic Luther, making profound theological statements colored with wit and earthy humor. But Luther’s point is simple: he was not responsible for the Reformation. It was the Word of God itself that exposed the corruption in the papacy and transformed people with the truth. That is the power of the Bible; it is sufficient to regenerate souls and renovate hearts.

God’s Word never comes back void, and it always accomplishes what God intends (Isaiah 55:10-11). Not only is it like a hammer, but it is also like a well-watered seed that germinates and grows. “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

God’s Law as a Mirror

In his classic passage on evangelism, Paul begins by saying how he prays for his fellow Jews, “that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1). Like the former Paul, his fellow Jews are passionately religious, but are “ignorant of the righteousness of God” and so they are trying to earn a right standing with God through their own righteousness (Romans 10:3). Such efforts are always fruitless, because while we may think of ourselves as “pretty good,” Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18).

When we are confronted with the Law of God, we see our paltry righteousness next to the perfect and righteous standard of God. The Spirit of God uses His Law like a mirror to show us who we truly are—desperate sinners under the just wrath of a holy God (John 3:36; Romans 1:18). That’s exactly what Jesus did for the young man who asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). Jesus took this young man through the Ten Commandments:

“You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” (Mark 10:19, ESV)

The Law of God shows us our brokenness. Take the ninth commandment, for example. Have you ever lied? We all have, and yet we all know it is wrong. That’s why we like to call our lies “white lies” and try to justify why we lied when we are caught telling one. It’s for this same reason, that people are easily offended for being accused of sin—a word that speaks to how we have each violated God’s Law. We are rebels, but we are rebels in denial.

But after people have heard and understood the Law’s diagnosis, the remedy in Christ must be presented.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)

“Thy Word Is Truth”

The Bible says we are truth suppressors, because we know we aren’t everything we should be or even everything we would like to be.[6] These are all indications that something has gone terribly wrong with us. That is what the Word of God does. It shows us the error of our ways. Like a surgical scalpel, it wounds so that it can heal. And that healing can only come through the cross of Christ, where Jesus bore our sin in His body and endured the wrath of God in our place (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10; Romans 5:8-11).

Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV). He said that what will mark His followers is that they have been set apart by the Word of God.

I have spoken with atheists who refuse to even touch a Bible, but isn’t their strong allergy to Scripture just one more indicator of its inherent power? Is there any other book they so vehemently hold at arm’s length? Some are so hostile, they are not ready for such a challenge. But for those who are open, you can always challenge them to read the Bible “as a child” to see if it doesn’t prove itself to be the very Word of the living God.

Although the Old Testament is equally God’s Word, I usually encourage people to start with one of the Gospels in the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. If someone just wants a full explanation of the Christian message, I sometimes direct them to the Book of Romans. But wherever you point them, have confidence that the Word of God has the power to break through the thickest barriers of the heart.

God’s Word is powerful because it alone is His perfect self-revelation. It is the Rock on which Christ’s followers can stand.

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!”[7]

This proved true for Micah Wilder. In the Bible, Micah found that our only hope of being justified (declared in the right) before God is through faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished through the cross and resurrection. When people ask what’s different about him now, since the LDS church claims to follow Christ too, Micah explains it this way:

“When I was a Mormon, I would have claimed that I believed in, trusted, and followed Jesus Christ. In reality, He was only a portion of what I believed I needed in order to be reconciled to God. As a Mormon, Jesus was just one of many pillars of my testimony. Now He is the Rock and the foundation of my faith. He’s not just part of my testimony, He is my testimony! I know that my good standing with God is independent of any religious system, denomination, man, work, ordinance, or anything of my own merit. It is, however, completely dependent on Jesus Christ. There is salvation outside of Mormonism, but there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ.”[8]

To see the full testimony of Micah Wilder and other members of the band Adam’s Road, check out Unveiling Grace: The Film, found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl0c5nl6u48.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] See Micah’s full story in his excellent book Passport to Heaven (Harvest House Publishers: Eugene, OR, 2021).

[2] Micah Wilder, quoted in Eric Johnson and Sean McDowell, Sharing the Good News with Mormons, 111.

[3] Ibid, 112.

[4] I had a seminary professor who said if you use the Bible in evangelism, you’ll only turn people away. Micah’s story is but one example—there are countless!—of why that is simply untrue.

[5] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, 51:77.

[6] Romans 1:18.

[7] “How Firm a Foundation” is a Christian hymn written by John Rippon and published in 1787.

[8] Johnson and McDowell, Sharing the Good News with Mormons, 114.

What Do the Christmas Prophecies Tell Us about God?

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Why I Believe1 Comment

Parents love to see their children eagerly expecting the arrival of Christmas. They get Advent calendars with the countdown to Christmas and share in their growing excitement with each passing day. God did that with His children, too. He gave them prophecy after prophecy as if to build up that sense of expectation for when the Savior would arrive.

Has God Spoken?

While many doubt the Bible’s accuracy and authority today, one clear proof for its divine origin is the numerous fulfilled prophecies found within its pages, especially from the Old Testament. Only the all-knowing God could tell His people about future events, not merely in vague generalities, but with incredible precision.[1]

The Bible we have today was written down by men, but Christians have always believed that it’s not merely a human word. It is God speaking through faithful men. We weren’t meant to only see the red letters spoken by Jesus as God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture”—all of the Bible—is “breathed out by God.” And God wants you to have the confidence that every time you take up and read His Word, you are hearing from the Creator Himself in plain language.

Because the Bible is God-breathed text, it is utterly unique. It is not just one more “conversation partner” among a host of helpful voices, as I heard one self-identifying progressive Christian claim recently.[2] Scripture is authoritative, because it comes from the transcendent authority of God. The Apostle Peter writes, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21, ESV).

And throughout the whole Old Testament, God spoke through His chosen servants to tell His people of a coming Savior.

The Promised Redeemer

One of the most amazing things we see in the Bible is that from the time that humankind first rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, God has been working out His plan of redemption.

Of course, the all-knowing God always planned on redeeming His fallen creation (Revelation 13:8). But how incredible to think that when Adam and Eve first reject His authority by eating the fruit, God doesn’t charge in with fury and smite them with a lightning bolt. Nor does He throw up His hands and say, “Well, I guess I’ll scrap this whole humanity project!” No, because He is a God of astonishing grace, He took that moment when they were so vulnerable—and so obviously guilty—to draw them close. He symbolically forgives them by covering their nakedness with animal skins and promises that a Redeemer would come to fix what they had broken (Genesis 3:21).

God promises One who will be an offspring of the woman, who will crush the devil underfoot (Genesis 3:15). In other words, He would come to undo the devastation caused by our first parents.

But He doesn’t stop there. Throughout the Old Testament, God continues to give promise after promise of a coming Redeemer. As the timeline progresses, more and more light is shed on Who this Savior would be and what He would be like. By the time you get to the New Testament, you’re eagerly expecting this Redeemer that God has promised for thousands of years.

God didn’t leave His people to wonder if there was any hope for them. He gave specific predictive prophecies so that they would know what to expect. And the fact that God carried out all these prophecies so precisely shows that He really is sovereign over this world.

A God in Control of History

In order for God to give prophecies that are fulfilled with such precision as we’ll see these were, He must be in absolute control of history.

Some pastors and theologians today are trying to argue that God doesn’t know the future in its entirety. They imagine God as a master chess player shrewdly strategizing and moving the pieces with incredible wisdom as He experiences changing circumstances, but that in the final analysis, He doesn’t know what decisions we will make. This is called open theism, because the future is allegedly “open” and unknown to God Himself.[3]

Well, there is a big problem with that idea. If God doesn’t know the future in its entirety, then how can we say He’s in full control? In fact, how can we say for sure that everything will end as He said it will end, if the future is a bit foggy even to God?

Theologians who teach this are trying to get God off the hook so that when bad things happen, they can say, “Oh, but see, God didn’t know it would happen like this.” But that sounds more like a bumbling friend than the El Shaddai—God Almighty—of Scripture. A God who is just trying His best but is often mistaken is hardly worthy of our trust and certainly unworthy of our worship.

But the Bible leaves us with no doubt about this: God is in absolute control of history.[4] Consider Isaiah 7:14.

The Virgin Conception

In context, God is giving the king of Judah a pledge of His trustworthiness. And this is given around 700 years before Christ’s birth. God essentially says through the prophet Isaiah, “Listen up! Here’s how you will know that I’m a God who keeps His Word.”

And Isaiah says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV)

That’s a pretty clear sign. Where else in all of human history do we have someone who was born of a virgin? So we can know when this happens, God is doing something extraordinary. And this is important to keep in mind. I can hear the skeptic asking, “Well, how do we know Mary was even telling the truth about being a virgin?” But this is not a case of one random woman making wild claims. There are numerous pieces of corroborating evidence supporting Mary’s claim.

First of all, consider who Mary’s son, Jesus, turned out to be. What cannot be dismissed even by secular historians is that Jesus lived an extraordinary life. If a virgin did conceive a baby supernaturally, we would expect this baby to turn out to be something special. Like, for instance, having one-third of the world claim to follow Him 2,000 years later and splitting history in half (BC and AD). Consider also that Joseph got the memo, too. He wasn’t even going to marry her until the angel showed up and explained everything.[5] It wasn’t just Mary’s word. But there’s also this promise in Isaiah 7:14 that God will perform this incredible miracle one time—and only one time—when a virgin will conceive.

If you’re going to assume someone must be lying simply because something sounds incredible, no amount of evidence will convince you if a miracle really happened. According to Luke’s report, Mary was just as bewildered as any modern person would be by the news that she—a virgin—would conceive (see Luke 1:34). One thing you have to realize is that miracles in Scripture always have a theological context. They are not random; they serve a revelatory and redemptive purpose. They point to the God who redeems. As we will see, it’s not just Isaiah’s one prophecy. There is an extraordinary convergence of fulfilled prophecies that center on the one person, Jesus of Nazareth.

Is the Messiah Divine?

Many Jews today deny that the Messiah will be divine. They think God becoming a human baby is preposterous, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19). But while God is totally distinct from man in His divine nature, prophecies like Isaiah 7:14 do lead to us to conclude that the coming Messiah must be in some sense both human and divine. Indeed, this virgin-born son will be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us.”

But then if you flip forward a page to Isaiah 9, we’re told this:

“But in the future he [God] will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.” (Isaiah 9:1b-2, CSB)

Galilee was a region in the north of Israel, where the town of Nazareth was. So the prophecy here is that God will send One who will be like a “great light” to Galilee. Well, that certainly would fit with a man who 700 years later would be called “Jesus of Nazareth (in Galilee)” who was also known as “the Light of the World.”

But then just a few verses later, Isaiah tells us more about this coming Messiah.

“For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, CSB)

The rabbinic scholars must have scratched their heads at this point. The Messiah will come as a little baby “born for us.” Fair enough. But He will also be named “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” How could this be? How can a fragile little baby also be called “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father (or Creator)”? So, just like with Isaiah 7:14, they were left with this mystery unsolved. It was baffling, because God had always said He was not like humans. Yet, these prophecies seemed to say that the coming Messiah would be both a flesh and blood boy and the eternal Creator.

In fact, as you look at this prophecy, is there really any other way to interpret this? The Messiah had to be both God and man.

From Bethlehem or Nazareth?

Isaiah goes on to confirm that this one would also reign on David’s throne, which fits with other prophecies to show that he’s talking about the coming Messiah.

But then we come to Micah 5. And this one also vexed the rabbis. The context here is God promising a coming Redeemer, and even the ancient rabbis took this as a messianic prophecy.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2, ESV)

That final phrase “from ancient times” is the Hebrew phrase mi-vemey ‘olam, which is usually translated “from eternity.” And that would tell us that this coming Ruler actually has an eternal origin. But the big thing to note is that Micah says the Messiah would come from the little town of Bethlehem.

Earlier I noted that Nazareth was in Galilee. But Bethlehem was in Judea, not Galilee. So here’s the question: If Isaiah said that the Messiah would be from Galilee (where Nazareth is), how could He also be from Bethlehem (in Judea)?

For the Jews, this was a puzzle. Perhaps some even claimed it was unresolvable. But what if this coming Messiah would be born to a virgin from Galilee and even be raised in Nazareth of Galilee for most of His growing up years, so that He would be known as someone from Nazareth? But what if a census was decreed by the ruling Emperor, Caesar Augustus, so that His mother and her husband—who were both descendants of David—would have to return to their ancestral home of Bethlehem to be registered? And what if this census just happened to be exactly when Mary’s baby was born?

Wouldn’t we have to say that in one sense He was from Galilee, but in another sense He was from Bethlehem?

Ultimately, there are no accidents in history. The Sovereign God can give such precise prophecies with such incredible accuracy only because He really is in control of history.

The God of Christmas

Because the Christmas prophecies were fulfilled exactly, we can trust God’s Word entirely. All of these prophecies conclusively point to Jesus of Nazareth as the virgin-born divine Messiah sent to rescue us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). While God as God is certainly unlike us in important ways, He chose to become one of us when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14, ESV).

This is but a small fraction of the already fulfilled prophecies in the Bible. We could keep going if we had more space. But here’s the point we cannot miss: only a supernatural book can give us the future. The Jews who have rejected Jesus throughout history still have to acknowledge that these prophecies were in their Hebrew Bibles long before Jesus was born.

All of this is very good news for sinners like you and me. We have a God who has not left us alone. He promised in ages past to send a Savior. He fulfilled that promise on that first Christmas. And today this promise-keeping God shows mercy to all who call on the name of Jesus.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Keep in mind, Orthodox Jews have had copies of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) since it was first penned long before the birth of Christ, so one cannot claim that Christians came along and modified the Hebrew Scriptures to fit the portrait of Jesus.

[2] The video is titled “Conservative vs. Progressive: Jesus, Culture, and the Bible (with Brandan Robertson)” hosted by Dr. Sean McDowell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOTjzVZihfM

[3] See a powerful refutation of this theology in Bruce Ware’s book God’s Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism.

[4] Scripture supporting this claim is found in Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6-8; Psalm 103:19; 115:3; 135:6; Proverbs 21:1; Isaiah 25:1; Daniel 2:21; 4:34-35; Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:11.

[5] See Matthew 1:18-21.

Are Science and Christianity Friends or Foes?

On By Jason SmithIn Why I Believe5 Comments 
“Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” (Psalm 111:2)

Many today take it for granted that biblical faith is incompatible with scientific findings. The assumption is that science has provided all the knowledge we need about our origins and the origin of our universe. This idea that science and Christianity are at odds has been so widely promoted in our culture by popular science communicators – including Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson – that many have taken for granted that this is true.

Christianity and Cosmic Order

Before one can undertake any scientific endeavor, such as calculating the growth rate of fertilized plants versus that of unfertilized plants, one must hold some basic working assumptions. One such assumption is the regularity of nature.  In other words, you must assume that certain physical laws will remain in place each time you observe and measure the plants. Such an assumption might seem incredibly obvious. We think, Of course, there is regularity in nature!

But on an atheistic worldview, why assume any kind of law-like structure to the universe? Laws don’t form by chance; they come from a Lawgiver. If the universe is the result of an undirected chaotic explosion rather than the ordered creation of an infinite Mind, why would we expect consistency in nature?

No one would believe that the Eiffel Tower formed as a result of an iron mine explosion. In the same way, we shouldn’t expect any kind of orderliness in a universe that formed by an unguided explosion.

Paul Davies is a physicist who is certainly not religious. And yet he comments:

“Just because the sun has risen every day of your life, there is no guarantee that it will rise tomorrow. The belief that it will, that there are indeed dependable regularities of nature, is an act of faith, but one which is indispensable to the progress of science.”[1]

The Bible not only says that “all things were created through [Christ] and for [Christ],” but also that “in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). It is because the Son of God “upholds the universe by the word of His power” that we can have confidence in the regularity of nature (Hebrews 1:3).

Physicist Michael Guillen says, “The Christian worldview best squares with the scientific worldview. It’s easy for me to be both a scientist and a Christian. Do science and Christianity have disagreements? Oh, you bet! And a few of them get the bulk of the publicity. But when it comes to the fundamentals, the two worldviews are very much in line. They are like my wife and me. We have our disagreements. And some of them are real doozies. But when it comes to core principles, we see eye to eye.”[2]

This is why modern science first began in the West, where the backdrop of the culture was the Christian worldview. This also explains why the vast majority of the founders of modern science were theists – and many were Christian theists.[3]

For instance, Galileo – often falsely portrayed as an opponent of biblical faith – was a Bible-believing Christian who argued that “the laws of nature are written by the hand of God in the language of mathematics” and that the “human mind is a work of God and one of the most excellent.”[4]

While many want to argue that faith and science are at odds, the scientific method itself is based on certain faith assumptions. Without these assumptions – which most scientists simply take for granted – science could never get off the ground. These include the orderly character of nature, the regularity of physical laws, the rational intelligibility of the universe, and the fact that our minds are equipped to understand certain truths about the universe.

Philosopher Richard Swinburne writes:

“The very success of science in showing us how deeply ordered the natural world is provides strong grounds for believing that there is an even deeper cause for that order.”[5]

The Limits of Science

Many have bought into the ideology of scientism, which says that science alone is the key to answering all our questions about the universe. But this ignores the many areas where science is limited. For example, science can teach us how to build an atomic bomb, but it cannot tell us whether it is right to use it.

Science cannot even tell us why there is a universe to study in the first place. Science is a wonderful tool, but it cannot give us a grand explanation of everything. Instead, science points us to a greater explanation beyond its analytical reach.

Scientific observations showing that our universe is expanding indicate that our universe had a beginning. But if the universe had a beginning, there must have been a cause. Things don’t just burst into existence without a prior cause. A timeless and all-powerful God who transcends nature would be a reasonable explanation for the origin of our universe.

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20, ESV)

Atheism and Its Illogical View of the Beginning

In his book The Grand Design, the late Stephen Hawking argued that we don’t need God to explain the origin of the universe. Instead, the universe’s physical laws can explain why there is a universe.

Hawking wrote: “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”[6]

Interestingly, when I shared this idea with my 7-year-old son, Logan, he laughed and said, “That’s impossible for something to make itself.” He recognized that Hawking’s statement is logically flawed. For something to create itself, it would have to be in existence already. His statement is incoherent.

Why would a scientist as accomplished as Stephen Hawking make such an obvious logical blunder and claim that the universe brought itself into existence?

Scripture provides insight here. The Book of Romans says that when you reject the one true God who created nature, you will end up worshiping various aspects of nature itself (Romans 1:21-23). Interestingly, there is a parallel to this ancient form of nature worship among many scientists today. They attribute creative power, eternality, and even design to the cosmos instead of the Creator of the cosmos.

Oxford scientist John Lennox observes:

“Perhaps there is a subtle danger today that, in their desire to eliminate the concept of a Creator completely, some scientists and philosophers have been led, albeit unwittingly, to re-deify the universe by endowing matter and energy with creative powers that they cannot be convincingly shown to possess.”[7]

Can Irrationality Produce Rationality?

If nature is all there is, that would mean there is no divine mind outside the universe responsible for our existence. But that would mean that our brains are the result of blind and irrational natural processes. Now, if that is where atheistic science takes us, then why in the world would we trust our brains can grasp the truth? In fact, why think we could ever do science in the first place?

Consider a scenario where I told you about a computer that was not designed by a human mind but came about purely by the blind forces of nature. Would you expect such a machine to function well, let alone assemble naturally in the first place? Such an idea sounds preposterous. In the same way, we could only trust our brains to grasp scientific truth if they have been designed by an intelligent Creator who transcends the blind processes of nature. The great irony is that, in their eagerness to eliminate God from the scientific enterprise, atheists have actually removed any reason whatsoever for trusting our rational faculties.

Some atheists have recognized this and are haunted by the logical outcome of their godless worldview.

The chemist J. B. S. Haldane said, “It seems to me immensely unlikely that mind is a mere by-product of matter. For if my mental processes are determined wholly by the motions of atoms in my brain I have no reason to suppose that my beliefs are true.”[8]

Atheist John Gray has put this problem more bluntly: “Modern humanism is the faith that through science humankind can know the truth and so be free. But if Darwin’s theory of natural selection is true this is impossible. The human mind serves evolutionary success, not truth.”[9]

Gray’s point is that on Darwinism, there’s no real basis for thinking we have adapted the ability to know the truth. After all, the Darwinian worldview says that there is no ultimate design and purpose to organic life and that humans are the result of unguided chance.

Christian apologist C. S. Lewis similarly asked, “If thought is the undesigned and irrelevant product of cerebral motions, what reason have we to trust it?”[10]

If atheists want to go on believing that their brain is the product of blind chance, they are welcome to do so, but I’m going to stick with the hypothesis that the only wise God designed my brain. Praise God, we are not mere accidents. Instead, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” by God with loving design and intention (Psalm 139:14).

According to the Bible, we have every reason to believe our brains can grasp certain truths about the natural world. In fact, the Bible says that God created us in His own image – meaning our rational minds are a reflection of His rational mind (Genesis 1:27-28). Thus, on the Christian worldview, we have good reasons to think we can learn about the world through the scientific endeavor.

Science and biblical faith are not at war. They complement and reinforce one another.

Feel free to comment below!

[1] Paul Davies, The Mind of God, 81.

[2] Michael Guillen, Seeing Is Believing.

[3] Such theistic scientists include Roger Bacon, Gregor Mendel, Blaise Pascal, Johannes Kepler, Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, and Michael Faraday.

[4] Galileo quoted in John C. Lennox, Cosmic Chemistry, 43.

[5] Richard Swinburne, Is There a God? (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), 68.

[6] Hawking and Mlodinow, The Grand Design, 180.

[7] John C. Lennox, Cosmic Chemistry, 113.

[8] J. B. S. Haldane, Possible Worlds and Other Essays (reprint ed.) London, UK: Chatto and Windus, 1932.

[9] John Gray, Straw Dogs, London, Granta Books, 2002, 26.

[10] C. S. Lewis, Miracles.

Photo Courtesy of NASA, M. Livio, and the Hubble Heritage Team.

What Does the Bible Say about Abortion?

On By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life1 Comment

By Jason Smith

Some might ask, “Why bring up the Bible when we talk about abortion? Isn’t that a political debate?”

Many people would say the Bible is irrelevant to the issue of abortion. But as a follower of Jesus, I take the Bible to be the authoritative Word of God. Jesus had the highest view for Scripture, and Scripture claims to be the very words of God. It’s good to remember that everyone looks to some authority for shaping the way they view the world. These can include your family, your church, your friends, your professors, the scientific community, or your favorite YouTube channel. But we all have sources of authority, and as a follower of Jesus, I’ve become convinced that the Bible really is the authoritative Word of God.

So, the Bible matters to the question of abortion, because what really matters is what the Creator of everything says about this issue. But I think it’s worth pointing out something first.

Contrary to what many want to say, the abortion debate is not about those on the side of science, progress, and women’s rights versus those on the side of religion, faith, and superstition. That’s how many try to frame the debate in order to stack the deck so that religion and faith look silly. But historically, modern science has its roots in a biblical worldview.

As the great thinker, C. S. Lewis, pointed out: “Men became scientific because they expected Law in Nature, and they expected Law in Nature because they believed in a Legislator.”[1] So true science – going out and exploring this world and trying to discover the law and order in the universe is right at home in a theistic, rather than an atheistic, worldview.

So, when we talk about the nature of the unborn, the Christian wants to know both what can be gleaned from science and what can be gleaned from Scripture. Traditionally, this has been called looking at natural revelation and looking at special revelation.

Choice Is not the Issue

Something else needs to be cleared up. The big question about abortion is not whether someone is pro-choice or anti-choice. Nearly everyone is anti-choice when it comes to rape, genocide, and race-based slavery. People don’t want those choices to be legal, because they are immoral. So, the question isn’t whether you are for or against choice. The whole issue is about the nature of the unborn. Are they a full-fledged human being, imbued with personhood, dignity, and rights, or are they just a parasite, a clump of cells, or some other subhuman creature that can be killed?

On a personal note, something else needs to be said. If you have somehow been involved in an abortion in the past, you need to know that not only does the Bible talk about the unborn child, it also talks about the love, grace, and forgiveness of God found in Jesus Christ. So, you need to know – if that’s you – I don’t write any of this in a spirit of condemnation. I aim to follow the model of Jesus, who the Bible says was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

So what does the Bible say about the unborn child? Well, one thing I’ll want to show from a handful of passages is that the Bible everywhere affirms both the value and personhood of the unborn.

Why the Incarnation Matters in this Debate

Just a couple months back, we Christians celebrated the Advent of Christ. The truth of Christmas is that God Himself entered this world – not directly to a manger – but through the womb of a virgin. It’s astonishing to consider that the Incarnation – God becoming a man – took place first in Mary’s womb. So Jesus Himself was an unborn child in utero.

There’s a unique encounter we read about in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1. Mary comes to see Elizabeth, her relative, who is also pregnant at this time. So you have two pregnant women greeting each other here. And here’s what we read:

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”(Luke 1:41-44, ESV)

This passage has some remarkable implications for the nature of the unborn child. First, notice that word “baby” used. In the Greek, it’s the word brephos. That same word is used in the next chapter of baby Jesus after He is born. That tells us that, according to the Bible, whether the child is unborn or born, either way it’s a baby – not merely a clump of cells or a non-person.

Secondly, notice what Elizabeth says: When I heard your greeting “the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (v. 44). This unborn baby – later known as John the Baptist – is already fulfilling his purpose of pointing others to Jesus. And he does this by leaping for joy. Joy is an attribute of human beings; it indicates personhood. A clump of cells doesn’t have joy. And notice that Elizabeth also calls Mary “the mother of my Lord” (v. 43). Even though Mary was only in that first trimester with Jesus, Elizabeth says she’s already a mother – not a potential mother.

So, everything here assumes the unique personhood of the baby in the womb.

Biblical ethicist Scott Rae writes:

“From the earliest points of life in the womb, Mary and Elizabeth realize that the incarnation has begun. This lends support to the notion that the incarnation began with Jesus’s conception and that the Messiah took on human form in all of its stages, embryonic life included.”[2]

David in the Womb

Let’s look briefly at another couple passages.

In Psalm 51, King David is confessing his sin to God. And here’s what he says:

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5, ESV)

Keep in mind, David is confessing his own sin here. But he says that this sin nature is something he’s had, not only from birth, but from conception. To have a sin nature from conception is something that can only be true of persons, who have the dignity of being moral creatures.

Or here again is a passage where David speaks of his life in his mother’s womb:

“You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13, ESV)

David speaks of God’s meticulous care in forming him and knitting him together. And notice he doesn’t say, “You knit the clump of cells that would become me together,” or even, “You knit together the fetus that would become me in my mother’s womb.” No, he says, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” So, from conception, that fetus or baby in the womb was David, not some impersonal parasite.

So even though David in the womb was tiny, not yet fully developed, and lacked many functional abilities, he was still at that time David. Though there would be changes in his development over time, there was no change to his fundamental nature at birth or any time before or after that.

And by the way, science supports this conclusion. Dianne Irving is a biochemist and biologist and teaches at Georgetown University. She had this to say:

“Scientifically something radical occurs between the processes of gametogenesis and fertilization… During the process of fertilization, the sperm and the oocyte cease to exist as such, and a new human being is produced.”[3]

Where Does Human Value Come From?

All of us have an inborne awareness that human beings have value. That’s why when the choice is given between saving the life of a drowning dog or a drowning child, the answer should be obvious. Of course, we should care for animals, too, but there is something unique and sacred about human life. But even though we all have the sense that human beings are valuable, this concept has no basis in a secular worldview.

The Declaration of Independence states that:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

It makes sense that if God created us, human beings have equal value and certain natural rights – including the right to life. But if there is no God, where do human rights come from?

Many of my secular friends want to hold on to human rights – they hate things like human trafficking, rape, and racist acts of violence. But the question is, if we all came about through purely natural processes that didn’t have us in mind, then why on earth do we assume human life has value? Wouldn’t we have the same status as pigs and cows and mice and dung beetles?

As Yuval Noah Harari explained in his book Sapiens:

“The idea of equality is inextricably intertwined with the idea of creation. The Americans got the idea of equality from Christianity, which argues that every person has a divinely created soul, and that all souls are equal before God.”[4]

He then writes:

“Homo Sapiens has no natural rights, just as spiders, hyenas, and chimpanzees have no natural rights.”[5] Harari is an atheist, but he recognizes the place that Christianity and the Bible had in introducing the concept of human rights to the world. Without the God of the Bible, he says, this whole idea of human rights and equality is an illusion. This is why having a theistic view of reality is so important.

The Bible teaches that you have intrinsic value – not because you have reached a certain level of development or because you have great hair or are especially smart or have contributed something to society. No. You have intrinsic value simply by nature of being made in the image of God.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness….”
So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them (Genesis 1:26-27, ESV)

Notice that this is the very first word on human beings in the Bible. The first and most foundational thing God wanted us to understand is that we are made in His image and likeness, and thus have intrinsic value.

That’s why, just a few chapters later we read:

“Whoever sheds the blood of man,
    by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image.” (Genesis 9:6, ESV)

So because we are uniquely created in God’s image and likeness, all humans have intrinsic value. And human life should be protected for that reason. That’s why we should never mistreat others based on skin color, age, sex, or anything else – including whether they are born or unborn.

“But the Bible Doesn’t Mention Abortion”

Here is what some people argue. They say that since the Bible doesn’t explicitly mention the word “abortion,” pro-life people shouldn’t condemn it as a sin. But there’s a real problem with an argument from silence like this. The Bible also doesn’t specifically say we shouldn’t slash people’s tires or spray paint our neighbor’s house or shoplift at 7-Eleven, but that doesn’t mean those things aren’t wrong. Our cultural context is different; but the fact remains that if abortion is the killing of an innocent human being – something that science supports – then it is in fact condemned in the Bible, because all killing of innocent human beings is condemned in Scripture.

Furthermore, I would argue that a case law describing an accidental abortion is mentioned in Scripture. Here’s what we read in the Law of Moses:

“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” (Exodus 21: 22-25, NIV)

This law addresses the very specific situation where two people recklessly fight, hit a pregnant woman, and subsequently cause her to give birth prematurely. If no one is seriously harmed, then the husband can demand a fine be paid according to what the court allows. However, if there is any serious harm done, the lex talionis (the principle of retributive justice) ensures that every harm is matched with a proportional punishment.

In the case where either the mother or the baby are killed, the culprit had to face capital punishment (“life for life”). This is significant, because elsewhere in the Mosaic law, accidental killings did not require capital punishment. The killer was still guilty of involuntary manslaughter and would have to flee to a city of refuge until the death of the high priest (Numbers 35:9-15, 22-29). It is significant that God has a far more severe punishment in the case of accidentally killing either a pregnant woman or the baby in her womb than other accidental killings. If God views unintentional abortions this severely, what does He think of intentional abortions?

Commenting on this passage (Exodus 21:22), the 17th century reformer John Calvin wrote:

“…the unborn, though enclosed in the womb of his mother, is already a human being, and it is an almost monstrous crime to rob it of life which it has not yet begun to enjoy…”

It is interesting that Calvin said this based on Scripture and without all the benefits of what modern science tells us about the unborn.

In many passages in the Bible, we are urged to care especially for those who are helpless and need our protection.

“Defend the weak and the fatherless;
    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:3-4, NIV)

Final Word on Forgiveness

Before I conclude, I want to add that the great message of the Bible isn’t that “abortion is wrong.” The big message is the Gospel, which states that our God is full of grace and mercy. He sent His Son Jesus to reverse the consequences of our decisions and bear our sin and guilt in our place.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24, ESV)

That means that because of Jesus’s sin-bearing death, God can heal us of all our sin – including the sin of abortion. All God requires of us is that we get honest with Him, and He’ll wash us clean as we come to Him in repentance and faith.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(1 John 1:9, ESV)

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below

[1] C. S. Lewis, Miracles, 140.

[2] Scott Rae, Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics.

[3] Dianne N. Irving, “When Do Human Beings Begin?” Catholic Education Resource Center, https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/controversy/abortion/when-do-human-beings-begin.html.

[4] Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens.

[5] Ibid.

Photo courtesy of thewonderweeks.com

How Can I Know God’s Will for My Life?

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

By Jason Smith

If you’re a Christian, it is in you to want to do what pleases God. You don’t want to oppose His will. You’ve had enough of that in your life, and you know how badly that can go. But sometimes you come across situations in life where you’re unsure what God would have you do. And these are just a small sampling of the thousands of decisions we make every day – what to wear, what to say, how to spend time, and what to do first. Life is full of decisions!

Many decisions in life are very much in the moment and either don’t require or don’t allow for a lot of careful thinking beforehand. Other times, you have more time to make a decision, and usually these are the decisions that weigh on you the most when you’re considering what is God’s will. Where should I look for work? Should I marry this person? When should I retire? I want to consider some of the basic principles for knowing God’s will for your life. Then I want to conclude with how this works out in practice, considering the example of how to know who to marry or even whether one should marry at all.

Begin with Biblical Principles

God’s will is that His children would be sanctified – or set apart – in the truth of His Word (John 17:17). As we regularly immerse ourselves in the Word and apply its truths to our lives, it will begin to shape our critical thinking and become the foundational worldview out of which we make all our decisions. In other words, as you submit your mind to God’s Word, God will work in your heart and mind so that you better understand His will.[1] While many assume that Scripture doesn’t speak directly to their situation, I have found that Scripture provides the counsel we need to follow God’s leading. Even though the Bible doesn’t spell out the answer to every specific question, it equips us with the truth and wisdom necessary to make that decision.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV)[2]

The Bible teaches that we are first and foremost to focus on Christ and aspire to become more like Him in all we think, say, and do. Jesus is not only our Savior; He is our example (1 Peter 2:21). As you do this, both the momentary decisions and the prolonged decisions will be shaped by the character of Christ, as revealed in God’s Word.

Ask God for Wisdom

Seeking God’s guidance through prayer and communion with God is essential. Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before choosing His twelve disciples (Luke 6:12). It’s clear that He sought out communion with God before making this all-important decision. Likewise, we are to lay out every decision before the Lord, pleading for the wisdom that only He can give.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6, ESV)

One caution here. We shouldn’t try and demand that God give us a miraculous sign so that we know what to do. I remember wondering about this in the past. For example, if God wants me to try out for the basketball team, can I just ask Him to prove that by having the Portland Trailblazers win their next game?

Should I Put Out a Fleece?

In the book of Judges, we read about a man named Gideon who is told by God that he will have victory over the Midianites, a neighboring tribe (Judges 6:14-16). And so, as a test, Gideon puts out a fleece, asking God to prove this is His will by having the fleece filled with dew while having the surrounding dirt be completely dry in the morning. Sure enough, in the morning, only the fleece is soaked. But that’s not enough for Gideon. He asks God to do the very opposite the next morning – dry fleece and wet dirt (Judges 6:36-40). Once again, God is willing to comply with Gideon’s request. So you could say that Gideon asked God to prove something He had already revealed by giving Him a miraculous sign.

Many people have tried to use this as an example to follow, saying things like, “God wants us to put out a fleece” – i.e., ask God for a miraculous sign so that we’ll know His will. But Gideon’s story is not given as an example to follow. By Gideon’s own admission, God had already told him He would give Israel victory (v. 36). God chooses to comply with Gideon’s request, but not because Gideon is right to ask for this sign. Instead, this demonstrates God’s patience with a weak-willed man who was filled with doubts and lived in a difficult time.

So, before you lay a sponge on your back patio tonight, consider that Jesus said “a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign” (Matthew 12:39). Also consider that Gideon did not have a Bible. And there’s really no example of someone “putting out a fleece” in the New Testament after the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost.

The one time you could argue there’s an example of seeking God’s will through some kind of external sign is when, in choosing Judas’s replacement among the Apostles, the disciples cast lots, much like what was done for determining priestly duties in the Old Testament era (Acts 1:26). But I think we have to conclude that this was a very unique situation. The Apostles were the specially commissioned men who represented Christ’s authority in a unique way after Christ’s ascension. Their teaching was authoritative because they had spent considerable time with Christ on earth and witnessed His resurrection. So, it makes sense that they wanted to have a very public event like casting lots for determining the twelfth Apostle, who would be Matthias. No one could dispute Matthias’s authority, because this was done by the Apostles and in front of the church.

Invite the Leading of the Holy Spirit and the Counsel of Loved Ones

All true believers in Jesus Christ are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, and He directly leads us according to Scripture. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14). The Holy Spirit gives us God-honoring desires, grants us various gifts with which to build up the church, produces spiritual fruit in our lives, and prompts us to obey the Lord. It is incredible to think that God is with us wherever we go in life!

At the same time, there’s an important caution that I should make here. The Holy Spirit will never lead someone to disobey the revealed Word of the Bible. Therefore, you should first seek to understand the moral principles of God’s Word, and not simply “pray about” a moral question, hoping the Holy Spirit will give you a new moral insight on an issue that Scripture already addresses. While the Holy Spirit empowers us to obey and freshly applies biblical truths to our hearts, He will never contradict the Bible He gave us.[3]

I have come across people who have tried to justify a behavior that clearly violates Scripture, stating something along the lines of “The Holy Spirit okayed this one for me.” That is a dangerous position to be in, my friend. While subjective impressions can certainly be helpful in making a decision, they must be tested by the objective Word of God, our primary source for moral truth.[4]

Seeking the counsel of others is always wise, especially those who share the same biblical worldview and faith commitments that you do. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Even if you can’t meet with someone personally about a decision, you can read books on the subject. One especially useful place to look for guidance on ethical decisions is in the various Christian teachers of church history. It’s amazing how so many issues we face today are described and considered by great minds from the past. Once again, counsel from others should always be tested against the authoritative Word of God.

Consider the Consequences

A good question to consider when weighing competing decisions is the potential consequences of a given action: What will result if I do this and not that? Paul encouraged the Corinthians to think through what will build their brothers and sisters up as they conduct the worship service:

“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” (1 Cor. 14:26, ESV)

Elsewhere, Paul talks about the potential consequences of eating foods that were considered “unclean” in the Old Testament, like pork, in front of a “weaker brother” (Romans 14:13-16). We should consider the long-term consequences of our decisions. The vast majority of bad decisions come from a failure to consider the long-term cost, because our focus is only on the short-term benefit.

An Example of Seeking God’s Will in Action: Who Should I Marry?

So, for instance, if a believer in Christ is wanting to know who they should marry or whether they should even be pursuing marriage, there are some clear Scriptural guidelines to follow:

  1. The person you plan to marry must be a believer. 1 Corinthians 7:39 says that a single person is “free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” And 2 Corinthians 6 warns against being “unequally yoked with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14). So, the point to be made here is that missionary dating is always a bad idea. Many Christians enter into romantic relationships with non-Christians, trying to convince themselves that they will convert that person before the wedding date arrives. Allow me to be somewhat blunt here. That’s a colossal mistake. God doesn’t want you to even start down the road toward marriage – which is what dating is – if you would be unequally yoked. It’s like trying to unite two people with radically different centers of gravity.[5] This isn’t a matter of “praying about it” to see if it is God’s will. God has already spoken to this issue. Christians must only pursue marriage with other Christians.
  2. You should consider the Scriptural commands related to the marriage relationship, like in 1 Peter 3 and Ephesians 5, and decide if you are willing to submit to what Scripture commands for what your role in that relationship must look like. God calls wives to “submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22) and husbands to “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (v. 25). If these God-ordained marital roles seem too burdensome to accept, then perhaps you’re not as ready to marry as you may have thought.
  3. If you desire marriage, that’s a very good thing. The Bible says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing” (Proverbs 18:22). Marriage is part of God’s original created design for human flourishing and reproduction. But there’s also a word spoken for those who are called to singleness, particularly in 1 Corinthians 7. The Apostle Paul, a single man, explains that the single life has its benefits. It frees you up to serve the Lord without having to also consider the needs of your spouse (1 Corinthians 7:32-35).
  4. How do you know if you are called to singleness? Well, however long you may be called to the single life, the main point is that you will be able to serve the Lord in a special way if you are single. But if you have a strong desire for marriage, there’s no reason to assume you are called to singleness. After commending the single life as a worthy pursuit, Paul bluntly says “But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Corinthians 7:9). In other words, if you are struggling with sexual temptation and long to be married, then by all means, seek out a spouse. Some might argue that this doesn’t seem like a very romantic reason to marry someone, but Paul is simply being realistic about the power of sexual temptation and our need to live pure lives – whether we are single or married. It’s not that Paul doesn’t see other good reasons to pursue marriage, such as a strong attraction to another single person, a desire to have lifelong companionship with two souls knit together as one, and a hope of raising a family together.
  5. Invite the Holy Spirit’s leading and the input of others. The more you intentionally yield this decision to the Lord, the more you will be at peace with whatever direction God leads. Ask parents, family members, close friends, pastors, and confidantes to give their thoughts on the prospective marriage. If you’re afraid to ask someone, it might be that you already sense it is a bad idea.
  6. Who can you see yourself growing old with? Since marriage is a lifelong commitment, it’s worth considering this question carefully. It’s not merely a matter of finding someone who checks all the boxes, such as who will be the best financial provider or who seems to have the most friends. The big issue is: Who do you want to enter into covenant with? Again, the single person is “free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39). That means that you should marry the one you wish to spend the rest of your days with.

Check Your Motives

Lastly, Scripture encourages us to consider our motives when we weigh various decisions. As Paul says, “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3, ESV). This somewhat shocking statement should prompt us to consider the intentions of our heart. While we don’t want to fall prey to “analysis paralysis,” it’s also worth examining motives before plunging headlong into a weighty decision. Ask yourself questions like:

  • Is this an action done for the glory of God?
  • Is this an action done in love?
  • Will this build others up or tear them down?
  • Is this in line with what Scripture says?

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] See Romans 12:2 and Philippians 2:13.

[2] See Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 5:10; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 John 3:21-22.

[3] See 2 Peter 1:21 to see the Holy Spirit’s role in giving Scripture.

[4] See Ephesians 5:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; 1 John 4:1.

[5] For believers who are already married to an unbeliever, the Bible calls them to stay committed to the marriage vows, but because this will inevitably create friction in the relationship, it is not given as the ideal.

Mothers Are a Gift from God

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

By Jason Smith

“Sweet Lullaby,” sculpture by Alice Heath.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:31, NIV)

It’s pretty hard to overstate the importance a mother has in her child’s life. Our life journeys begin within our mother’s womb. Moms alone have literally been there from the beginning. The nurture and care flowing from a mother’s heart are irreplaceable. And the love a mother has for her children is simply beyond measure.

I am deeply grateful to God for my mother, Sandy Smith. There are so many times in life that I can look back and reflect on how essential my mother’s love, correction, and care proved to be. She has poured her heart and soul into my life in more ways than I can count.

I can say the same for my wife, Whitney, and the undeniable care she shows to our three boys. That same commitment to her children is also seen in my mother-in-law, Shirleen, and in countless other moms I have met.

Mothers are a gift from God.

Honor Your Mother

I’m thankful that our culture still celebrates Mother’s Day as a day to honor the women who have raised us and helped to mold us into the people we are today. Interestingly, Mother’s Day has only been a national holiday since 1914.[1] But God has been honoring mothers from the very beginning.

Honoring both parents is so essential that God included it in the big Ten Commandments He gave to Moses:

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12, NIV)

Perhaps one of the biggest ways you can honor your mother is through listening to her.

The logic works like this. She has lived longer than you. She’s been through more experiences than you. She was appointed by God to raise you. Without her, you wouldn’t have survived or become the person you are today. So, listen to her.

In the book of Proverbs, we read about the importance that both a father and a mother have in raising children.  

“Listen, my son, to your father's instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.” (Proverbs 1:8, BSB)

Again, the need to listen and cherish what both parents say is highlighted. In doing so, she can be joyful.

“Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old… Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.” (Proverbs 23:22, 25, NIV)

The same message is repeated over and over in Scripture: Your wise decisions lead to Mom being happy. And, as you can imagine, foolish decisions have the opposite result.

Thanks to postmodernism, our children today are being assaulted with a host of cultural lies about God, truth, morality, and history. In her excellent book, Mama Bear Apologetics, Hillary Morgan Ferrer writes about the essential role moms have in preparing their children for a world that is often very hostile to the Christian worldview:

“We need to prepare our children so they aren’t left unprotected for the future. The greatest protection we can give our kids is to equip them to face the cultural lies head-on while remaining gracious, loving, and winsome. It is not enough to simply tell them which ideas are raised against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). We must train them to understand why those ideas are flawed.”[2]

Cultivate a Contagious Love for God’s Word

For mothers, sound advice, careful discernment, and moral instruction are all certainly important. But for followers of the risen Lord, the greatest joy is seeing your children come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

On his second missionary journey, Paul befriended a young man named Timothy, who was apparently raised by both his Jewish mother and grandmother. His father was a Greek pagan, so it was left to the women who raised him to teach him the faith. Paul notes how important it was that Timothy learned to love the Bible at an early age.

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

Notice that phrase “knowing from whom you learned it.” So, who’s Paul referring to here? Who taught Timothy “the sacred writings” (the Bible)? If you flip back a page to chapter one, we get the answer. In his greeting to Timothy, Paul writes:

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” (2 Timothy 1:5)

Although it’s easy for us to read past this if we are reading through the whole letter, I think that it’s worth stopping to consider what Paul is saying here. In chapter 3, he’s telling Timothy to be on guard against false teachers, to rely on God’s Word, and to remember “from whom” he learned God’s Word. It’s significant because Paul can point to both Timothy’s grandma and mom to say, “This faith that you now have that will keep you on the straight and narrow and save you for eternity—this faith—is what you first learned from them.”

I think Paul is showing Timothy—and God is showing us through Paul—just how important a godly mother is. Here we have two generations of godly mothers highlighted and Paul can say, “Look at their lives. Look at how much they depended on God for everything. You want to know that God’s Word is trustworthy and can tremendously help you in life? Well, look at your grandma and mother—the two women who have had the biggest impact on your faith—and consider how God’s Word shaped them into the gracious, loving, hope-filled and pure people they are.”

The Inestimable Impact of a Godly Mother

If you are a mother, my prayer for you is that you would be so committed to reading God’s Word—and so, to knowing Jesus—that your faith would have a tremendous impact on your child’s life and shape how he or she views the God who made them.

The great Baptist preacher of the 19th century, Charles Spurgeon, wrote this after reflecting on the incredible impact his Bible-reading mother had on him:

“Never could it be possible for any man to estimate what he owes to a godly mother. Certainly I have not the powers of speech with which to set forth my valuation of the choice blessing which the Lord bestowed on me in making me the son of one who prayed for me, and prayed with me.”[3]

In Acts 16:1, the author Luke mentions that Timothy’s mother was a believer. Here’s what John Piper said about this passage in a devotional I read recently:

“The apostle of Jesus Christ in this text bestows on motherhood and grandmotherhood a great honor. You have a calling that can become the long-remembered ground of faith, not just for your children — mark this — but for the untold numbers who will be affected by your children. And that’s in addition to all the other thousands of ripple effects of faith in your life.”[4]

Mothers, here’s the good news. Yes, you have an immense privilege and great responsibility in your calling as a mother. But, praise God, you don’t have to do this alone! You have Jesus, who is present with you and in you by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:20; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). You have the treasure trove of Scripture, which offers us both wisdom and grace to us every time we pick it up to read (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Cor. 9:8; Col. 1:5-8; Eph. 5:26). You have a God who is both faithful and loving, despite our flaws and failures (Deut. 7:9; Rom. 3:3-4; 1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:13; Titus 1:2). And, by God’s grace, you have others in your life who, while imperfect, are committed to loving you, loving your child, and loving Jesus.

You have been given an incredible charge, and you are also given an endless supply of grace (James 4:6). And, if you ever find your faith faltering, remember to fix your eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:1-2) and to consider the promise that when we read His Word, our faith is strengthened. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

[1] Although it became a holiday in 1914 thanks to President Woodrow Wilson, it was actually originated with Anna Jarvis, who began holding annual memorial in 1908 to honor her mother specifically and every mother also for their love and support.

[2] Hillary Morgan Farrer, Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies.

[3] Charles Spurgeon, Autobiography.

[4] http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/her-children-arise-and-call-her-blessed

What Did Jesus Think of the Bible?

On By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life, Why I Believe2 Comments

By Jason Smith

It’s an intriguing question, isn’t it? Just what did the carpenter from Nazareth think of the writings that Christians today call “the Bible”?

It’s a question worth asking because today there are many self-identifying Christians who claim unswerving loyalty to the King of kings while taking a much more ambivalent approach to Scripture than Christians generally have throughout the last 2,000 years. Why is it, for instance, that there is a growing number of Christians who hesitate to even call the Bible “the Word of God”? Such progressive Christians will often express great love and admiration for the Bible, but they are less certain about its abiding authority for believers today.

Take, for example, what Rob Bell says about Scripture’s origin:

“The Bible is a library of books reflecting how human beings have understood the divine. People at that time believed the gods were with them when they went to war and killed everyone in the village. What you’re reading is someone’s perspective that reflects the time and the place they lived in. It’s not God’s perspective — it’s theirs. And when they say it’s God’s perspective, what they’re telling you is their perspective on God’s perspective. Don’t confuse the two.”[1]

The problem with this assertion is that the Bible is filled with claims that it is God’s perspective, not merely man’s perspective on God’s perspective.[2] For instance, the Apostle Paul seems to be alluding to compromises similar to Bell’s when he writes, 

“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:13, emphasis added).

Paul is crystal clear. The words he writes are the very words of God. They ultimately originate not with Paul, but with God. They are not primarily Paul’s perspective on God’s perspective (whatever that means), but God’s perspective written through the vantage point of a human author. While human authors were the means — and certainly they expressed their personalities and styles in their writing — what they wrote ultimately has a divine Author.

What Is at Stake

Theologian James White rightly observes,

“A solid view of the Bible begins with the recognition that God is its principle author, the origin and source of its very essence. All sub-Christian systems must, by definition, attack God’s Word at this very point, for the survival of their unbiblical teachings and views of authority is dependent upon overthrowing this precise truth.” [3]

Therefore, Scripture’s divine authorship is a truth that Christians cannot neglect, and the church must persistently and unapologetically teach it with unwavering confidence.

Is it possible that many Christians in the West are being deeply influenced by secularism without even realizing it? To claim that Scripture is not truly from God is to strip it of all authority. And that, my friend, is the point. After all, if the Bible doesn’t really have a divine origin, then it doesn’t have any say over how I live my life.

Let me be candid. To claim to follow Jesus while denying the Bible’s divine authority over your life is both a grave dishonor to the Lord and a tragic rejection of a precious gift we ought to cherish. But beyond this, how can anyone deny Scripture’s authority while claiming to love the very Jesus described in those pages?

Jesus’ View of the Bible

So, what did Jesus think of the Bible? Would Jesus have considered the Bible to be the very Word of God?

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read of a time when a group of religious leaders, known as Sadducees, attempted to trip Jesus up with a somewhat ridiculous scenario of a widow who consecutively married seven brothers, all of whom died soon after saying “I do.” (As an aside, shouldn’t we begin to suspect this widow of murder?)

Now, something you should know is that the Sadducees didn’t believe in bodily resurrection. They only considered the first five books of the Bible to be Scripture, and resurrection isn’t explicitly taught until later revelation. So they ask Jesus a “gotcha” question: “So tell us, Jesus, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her” (Matthew 22:28). Their aim was to make the resurrection look nonsensical. Jesus’ response is remarkable:

“You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living” (Matthew 22:29-32 NASB, emphasis added).

Not only does Jesus demonstrate His belief in the absolute power and clarity of Scripture, but notice His question: “Have you not read what was spoken to you by God” (v. 31). According to Jesus, when we read from the pages of Scripture, the Creator God Himself is speaking to us. Consider the way Jesus frequently quotes Scripture with the preface “It is written.”[4] When settling a theological issue with the religious leaders, Jesus repeatedly asks, “Have you not read?”[5] Christ’s basic assumption is that if the so-called “experts” in the Law had only carefully read and submitted to the Law, they wouldn’t be mistaken. By appealing to Scripture in this way, Jesus was displaying His unyielding conviction that Scripture is the final word on the matter.

That’s because Jesus believed the Bible was the Word of God, and He had no problem calling it that.

For example, when the Pharisees and scribes confront Jesus and His disciples on their apparent disregard for the traditions of the elders (v. 2), Jesus turns the accusation around, calling these religious leaders to account for exalting their tradition while disregarding “the word of God.”

[Jesus] answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.” (Matthew 15:3-6, emphasis added)

Notice how Jesus clearly affirms Scripture as the “commandment of God.” His point is not that human tradition is all bad. Rather, Jesus is confronting the fact that their reverence and esteem for merely human tradition has supplanted Scripture’s rightful place of authority in their lives. God had clearly taught the great importance of honoring one’s parents, but there was a tradition handed down by the ancient rabbis that essentially nullified this teaching and muted what God had clearly said on the matter. By clinging so tightly to man-made teachings they had “made void the word of God” (v. 6, cf. v.9). This is a serious charge, and it demonstrates Jesus’ view both on the origin of Scripture and its supreme authority on every area of human life.

But the Pharisees and scribes aren’t alone here. Jesus would have us recognize this tendency even in our own hearts to exalt the wisdom of mere humans and disregard the wisdom of God. It’s a symptom of the brokenness from which Jesus came to set us free.

“Your Word Is Truth”

God has been so very gracious to give us the Bible. He didn’t have to do that. How tragic it is when we sneer at it and claim it is filled with human error.

For example, the late progressive Christian Rachel Held Evans wrote,

“While Christians believe the Bible to be uniquely revelatory and authoritative to the faith, we have no reason to think its many authors were exempt from the mistakes, edits, rewrites, and dry spells of everyday creative work.”[6]

She so emphasizes the human side that she discounts the fact that “those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21, NLT).

Compare Evans’ claim that the Bible is marked by “mistakes, edits, rewrites and dry spells of everyday creative work” with Jesus’ claim that “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Jesus told God the Father “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). When facing Satan’s temptations in the desert, Jesus counters by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3: “It is written, ‘Man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”[7]

Not even once does Jesus express even the slightest doubt that every word we find in Scripture is spoken by God, and, therefore, without error. Jesus would no doubt affirm Proverbs 30:5, “Every word of God proves true.” Kevin DeYoung has rightly concluded that “it is impossible to revere the Scriptures more deeply or affirm them more completely than Jesus did.”[8]

So this beckons the question: Do you share Jesus’ view of Scripture? Do you believe that what is written is “spoken by God” (Matthew 22:31)? Would you be willing to affirm that it is “the word of God” (Matthew 15:6). Do you believe those who wrote it “spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21), and thereby gave us an unbreakable “truth” (John 17:17)? Here’s my encouragement. If you consider yourself a Christian or follower of Jesus, you should want to see the Bible the way He saw it. God’s Word can give you the confidence to face each day and the certainty of what lies in store for you beyond the grave.

[1] Rob Bell, What Is the Bible? (New York: HarperCollins, 2017), 295-296.

[2] 2 Timothy 3:16 calls all of Scripture theopneustos, meaning “God-breathed.” 2 Peter 1:20 clearly says that Scripture does not come “from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Clearly, Scripture teaches that its origin, source, and wisdom begins not with humans, who are the active agents writing Scripture, but with God Himself who oversaw their environment, life, and activity, and carried them along in the writing process.

[3] James R. White, Scripture Alone (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House, 2004), 50.

[4] See the previous footnote. For but a small sampling see Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; 11:10; 21:13; 26:24, 31; Mark 7:6; 9:12-13; 11:17; 14:21, 27; Luke 4:4, 8, 10; 7:27; 10:26; 18:31; 19:46; 20:17; 21:22; 22:37; 24:44, 46; John 6:45; 8:17; 10:34; 15:25.

[5] cf. Matthew 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42; 22:31; Mark 2:25; 12:10, 26; Luke 6:3; 10:26.

[6] Rachel Held Evans, Inspired (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2018), xxiii. Evans fails to recognize that when Paul uses the word “inspired” (theopneustos in the original Greek) in 2 Timothy 3:16, he is calling the Scriptures themselves “God-breathed.” She re-imagines inspiration to mean something totally foreign to the original text. She writes, “Inspiration, on both the giving and receiving end, takes practice and patience. It means showing up when you don’t feel like it, even when it seems as if no one else is there. It means waiting for wind to stir.” I don’t know of any Christian throughout church history who would have agreed with her definition.

[7] The familiar Greek phrase γέγραπται, usually translated “It is written” or “Scripture has it,” is repeated over 90 times by Jesus and the New Testament authors to connote Scripture’s authoritative declaration on a matter.

[8] Kevin DeYoung, Taking God at His Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 109.

Photo credit: Lawrie Cate, Wikimedia Commons