What must I do to be saved?

    Question: Can you be saved by obeying man?

    Another question: How much do you have to be in agreement with Jesus to be saved? Can we think, “Well, I’m in agreement 85% with Jesus so I honor Him as Lord”?

    Third question: Is it possible for a “church of Christ” to stop being a “church of Christ”? That is, is it possible for Jesus to decide He will no longer recognize a church as being “of Christ”?

    Fourth question: How much does a church have to be in agreement with Jesus to be saved? Can a church say, “Well, we agree with Jesus in 85% of what He says, therefore, we honor Him as Lord”?

    When my mom and dad started dating, Mom was in a denominational group. She was very faithful in that group; she even taught Bible class in that group. In fact, she was my primary – but not only – Bible class teacher most of my elementary years. That’s why when I pronounce a Bible word, even though I know how it should be pronounced in Hebrew, I still hear her pronouncing it and I still usually pronounce it Mom’s way.

    Dad “grew up in the church,” as we say. Specifically, Dad had an understanding of the biblical teaching on baptism from an early age. Dad and Mom talked about baptism because the denomination where Mom went did not teach what the Bible teaches on baptism. Mom insisted that the church did.

    At some point, they came across Mom’s Bible she had and observed in the front of her Bible these inscriptions: “Saved 11/18/1953; baptized 12/18/1953.” I’m making up these dates since I do not know the specifics, but the specifics do not matter. 

    Dad pointed out to Mom that she did not obey Jesus Christ when she was baptized. She was baptized because man told her to. Since they had Mom’s Bible in front of them, they flipped through the pages to Mark 16:15-16. Mom had notes in her Bible, underlining, highlighting, etc, in Mark 16 from verse 1 through verse 14. And then from verse 17-20. Dad asked her why there was nothing at verses 15-16. Mom responded, “I guess the pastor never preached on it.”

    And Mom was baptized biblically – that is, for the forgiveness of sins.

    Let me ask you this: If my mom had taught me something wrong and it influenced the way I read Scripture, but I disbelieved the clear teaching of Jesus because of my mom’s influence, could I be saved anyway?

    Did Jesus say, “He who believes and is sincere shall be saved?”

    Didn’t Jesus teach us not to distort the Scriptures because it would lead to our destruction (2 Peter 3:16)? The most important thing my momma taught me, relative to the Bible, is that it is God’s truth and you accept it and don’t twist it. 

Paul Holland

DECEPTION #1: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1.6).

One simply cannot have a close relationship with God and at the same time live a life of sin. It just cannot be done. So many today want it to be that way, but it is simply impossible. God wants us to be more like Him, not more like the world! That is essentially our greatest goal in life!

DECEPTION #2: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1.8).

One can never get to the point where he/she is past the point of sinning. We will not ever be so spiritually advanced that we do not need the blood of Jesus. We sin with the tongue, with the body, with the eyes, with the ears, and in the mind. Can anyone really control each of these areas at all times and reach perfection? Certainly not! You see, we are all human. And, because of our human condition, we are tempted and we sin. No exceptions!

DECEPTION #3: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1.10).

Have you ever known anyone who believed, thought, or acted as if they had never sinned in their lifetime? There are some who might give that impression, but they sin in doing it. We all sin (Romans 3.23). That type of thinking only produces self-righteousness, and not one of us fits that mold! Understanding this truth will help us to be more sympathetic toward others when they sin! Think about it!

Kevin Williams

    This year we have been unpacking the description of love Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. This is the last lesson in that study and it is, perhaps, the most important: Love never fails. 

    Let’s take a brief look at six aspects of love which are mentioned in the NT. It all begins with…

GOD’S LOVE FOR US:

    John 3:16 – Loves the world

    John 3:35; 5:20 (phileo); 15:9; 17:23-24 – Loves the Son

    John 10:17 – Jesus lays down His life

    John 14:21 – If we love Jesus, we will be loved by the Father

    John 14:23 – If we keep Jesus’ words

    John 16:27 (phileo); 17:23 – Loves the followers of Jesus

    John 17:26 – The Father’s love for the Son will be in the Son’s followers

    Rom 5:5 – Poured out through the Holy Spirit

    Rom 5:8 – Christ died for us

    Rom 8:37 – We overwhelmingly conquer

    2 Cor. 9:7 – A cheerful giver

    2 Cor 13:11 (agape) – “God of love”

    Eph 2:4 – Great love

    2 Thess 4:8 – The Church

    1 John 4:10 – Sent His Son

    1 John 4:19 – He loved first

    God loves us even when we don’t respond as we should – love never fails.

JESUS’ LOVE FOR US:

    Mark 10:21 – rich young ruler

    John 11:3 (phileo), 5, 36 (phileo) – Mary & Martha & Lazarus

    John 13:1; 15:9 – Jesus loved His disciples 

    John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2 (phileo); 21:7, 20 – The disciple whom Jesus loved 

    John 14:21, 23 – Keep His commandments 

    John 14:31 – Love the Father, do exactly as He commands

    John 21:15-17 – Peter

    Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2 – Loved me & gave Himself for me

    Eph 5:25; 1 Thess 1:4; 2 Thess 4:10 – The Church

    Heb 12:6; Rev 3:19 – He disciplines

    Rev 1:5 – He released us from our sins

    We have the ability as fellow human beings, and especially as Christians, to give people love and to build relationships. That’s what happens when we “love like Jesus loves.”

SPIRIT’S LOVE FOR US:

    Rom 15:30 (agape) 

OUR LOVE FOR GOD:

    Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33; Luke 10:27 – God

    Luke 7:42, 47 – the one forgiven much, loves much

    Rom 8:28 – All things work together for good

    1 Cor. 8:3 – Known by Him

    1 John 5:1 – We will love His children

    1 John 5:2 – Keep His commandments

    Our love for God needs to be unfailing. We ought to love God without any further conditions on our part. Can we love God without any condItions on His part?

OUR LOVE FOR JESUS:

    Matt 10:37 – Love Him above family

    John 8:42 – If God is our Father, we would love Jesus

    John 14:15; 14:21; 15:10 – We will keep His commandments

    John 15:9 – Abide in His love

    1 Cor 16:22 – If we don’t love Him, we are cursed

    2 Cor 5:14 – Controls us

    Eph 6:24 – Grace to those who love JC with incorruptible love

    James 1:12 – Crown of life

    James 2:5 – The eternal kingdom 

    1 Peter 1:8 – Without seeing Him

    If we love Jesus then we will love each other, and we’ll care. 

OUR LOVE FOR OTHERS:

    Matthew 5:43-46; Luke 6:27, 32, 35 – enemies

    Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13 – masters

    Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31, 33; Rom 13:9-10; Gal 5:14; James 2:8 – neighbors

    John 13:34-35; 15:12-13, 17; 1 Thess 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22 – Love one another & lay down life

    Rom 13:8 – Love one another, fulfill the law

    Eph 5:25, 28, 33; Col 3:19 – Love wife

    1 Peter 2:17 – The brotherhood

    1 John 2:10; 3:10-11, 14, 18, 23; 4:7-8, 11-12, 20-21; 2 John 5 – Our brother 

    Every contact we make affects the other person (and us) either positively or negatively.

CONCLUSION:

    “Pursue love” – 1 Corinthians 14:1
“Let all that you do be done in love” – 1 Corinthians 16:14

    God is playing a masterpiece in the lives of each one of us. Since He is the one playing, let’s be patient with each other, loving without failure. Everything will be alright in the end.

    Love never fails.

Paul Holland

The Forerunner

 “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”  Luke 3:1-6

This passage begins with a list of famous and mighty men, from the supreme ruler in Rome to the governors of important provinces to the religious leaders in Jerusalem. While the birth of John the Baptist was miraculous, it did not attract the attention of the important leaders of his day. There were people who had been outside the Temple when the mute Zacharias came out after the Angel’s announcement of the birth of John. Perhaps many of the same people were present when John had been born and his parents said that his name would be “John.” No one in the family had that name; in fact, most were in favor of him being named after his father Zacharias. However, when Zacharias took a writing tablet, “And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, ‘His name is John.’ So they all marveled. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, ‘What kind of child will this be?’ And the hand of the Lord was with him” (Lk. 1:63-66).

What kind of child, indeed, would this boy be? He would become what some might call ascetic living in the desert. John’s preaching was bold, and he was not a “crowd pleaser.” John confronted many of the religious leaders of his day and denounced their hypocrisy. His message was one of repentance, and he called each one to renounce worldly pomp for the austerity of obedience to God.

Although his formative years were lived in obscurity in the desert (Luke 1:80), his public ministry ended nearly four hundred years of prophetic silence. John was that voice crying in the wilderness preparing the way for the coming Messiah (Isa 40:3; Matt 3:3 ; Mark 1:2-3 ; Luke 3:3-6 ). In this sense his message and ministry marked the culmination of the law and the prophets, but heralded the inbreaking of the kingdom of God (Matt 11:12 ; Luke 16:16 ). So John was truly a transitional figure, forming the link between the Old and New Testaments. He spans the ages with one foot firmly planted in the Old Testament and the other squarely placed in the New.

And John the Baptist did all of this without letting anything give him the big head. John never wavered from his mission. He had come to prepare the way for the Lord, and he gladly submitted to the Lord. One of John’s most telling statements is this: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). This is a powerful statement of humble submission to Jesus. Many of John’s disciples may have left him to follow Jesus, but John was content with that. John accepted his subordinate role to Jesus, and he often repeated that he had come to bear witness to the light (Jn. 1:19-23). We would do well to follow John’s example. Instead of tooting our own horn and looking for fame and fortune, let’s point men to the true light!

L Scott Gage

In the congregation where I grew up, we had a youth rally every year, called YES Weekend. Over the course of the event, we hosted hundreds of young people from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina. Before our new church building was completed in 2003, we had to move the Sunday morning worship service on YES Weekend. We rented the city auditorium because it was large enough to hold the congregation and all of our guests. The auditorium was designed similarly to a movie theatre. The floor sloped upward from the stage to the rear. There were carpeted aisles, but concrete floors under the theatre-style seats. As you might imagine, the place had great acoustics.

The young men of the congregation always served communion on YES Weekend. Preparing communion in the city auditorium presented a challenge since the building was not equipped with a kitchen. Because of this, and the convenience of offering communion to 750+ people, we served prepackaged communion. It took a dozen or so young men to wait on the three large sections in the auditorium.

I was one of those you men waiting on the Lord’s Table at YES Weekend in 2002. After one of the older teen boys led a prayer blessing the bread, the tray slowly made its way to me, where I promptly dropped it on the very hard floor. The clang and clatter of the metal tray reverberated off of the walls, stage, and floor. It still rings in my mind to this day. Dropping the communion in front of 750 people is not the biggest mistake I’ve ever made, but it was probably the loudest!

No matter how hard we try, we all make mistakes. No matter how much we may have grown in our walk with the Lord, we’re all going to stumble from time to time. If the process is advancing in our lives as it should, we may not be sinning as much as we once did. And we likely feel the weight of our sins, even the “little” ones, far more than we did in the past. Even so, on this side of heaven, we will never reach perfection in our thoughts, words, or actions.

That’s why I love Malachi 3:6. Malachi prophesied to the southern kingdom of Judah at the end of the Old Testament timeline. God’s people had returned from captivity in Babylon, only to fall into many of the same sins that had led them there in the first place. Malachi condemns the people’s sins at every level. In spite of all of this, God tells His people, “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

If we, or any people, got what we deserved, God in His righteousness would consume us. Instead, He sent His only Son, who gave His body and blood to cleanse us. We remember this special sacrifice every Sunday in the Lord’s Supper, even on Sundays when we drop it on the floor.

Clay Leonard

When I was in college I played soccer. I wore contacts, which seemed like a good idea for a sport where you put your face on the ball a lot (actually it was supposed to be your head, but I missed…a lot). One day, as I was diving to head the ball into the net, the defender took a swipe at the ball, missed, and hit me right on my eye with his toe. Blood came from my eye immediately. I thought for certain I had lost that eye. Even though the contact broke apart in my eye (they were glass contacts back in those days), I did not lose sight. I’ve been thankful ever since!

To highlight the incomparable preciousness of his teaching, Solomon orders his son to protect it as the apple (ison, i.e., pupil) of his eye (eneyka; see 4:25). This most delicate and yet most precious member of the human anatomy (cf. 3:14-26; 8:11; 31:10) is essential for illumination and guidance-without it there is only darkness (cf. Deut. 32:10; cf. “apple, daughter, of the eye” in Ps. 17:8; cf. Zech. 2:12; Matt. 6:22, 23)-and so epitomizes what needs the most diligent protection.

Workers and athletes alike know the importance of wearing eye protection.  Eyes are especially vulnerable, and so it is vital that thought be given to protecting them.  Equally, thought should be given to protecting the valuable teachings of God (which here were coming through the boy’s father). We don’t worry about protecting that which is worthless.  We protect that which is valuable. God’s word is valuable.

So how are we to protect the teachings of God?  First, we acknowledge how valuable they are to us. This is more than ‘lip service.’ We develop a genuine love for the word of God (cf. Psalm 1:2).

Second, we store God’s word in the one place it cannot be touched – in our minds and hearts.  This has always been God’s plan for His people (cf. Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:10). It is not possible to do this without concerted study and meditation.

Third, we stay away from people and places that might provide harm to His word (Ps. 1:1).

Denny Petrillo

    “A day hemmed in prayer is less likely to come unraveled.”

    Jesus told His disciples in 5:20 that their righteousness needs to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. In this section of the sermon, Jesus will illustrate just what He means by that.

CHRISTIANS PRAY DIFFERENTLY – 6:5-8:

    In contrast to pagans who believe they have to repeat themselves to be heard and / or to manipulate their gods to respond, Jesus tells His disciples not to “blabber” or to use “many words” (cf. the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:26). The Father in heaven is not like pagan gods. Not only can He not be manipulated through speaking mantras, but He does not need to be manipulated. He knows what disciples need even before they ask.

CHRISTIANS HAVE A PATTERN – 6:9-13:

    Anything to which God’s name is attached should be respected as holy, including His name itself. That means His people, “Christ”-ians, and His church, church of “God in Christ,” should be kept holy. The Father is in heaven, and from there He can rule over the affairs of men, answering prayers for His disciples, even as He is unaffected by the changing of time or space.

    Since the kingdom has been established on the Day of Pentecost (between 31 and 33 A. D.; Mark 9:1; Acts 2:32-35; Col. 1:13-14; Heb. 12:28; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6, 9), it would be appropriate now to pray that the kingdom will spread around the world and God’s reign would begin in the heart of each individual person.

    God’s will refers to the obedience He requires as well as the events in history He desired to transpire in order for Jesus’ work to be completed. Thus, Jesus gives the great commission in Matthew 28:19, telling His disciples to make disciples by baptizing them and teaching them to “observe all that I have commanded you.” That’s how God’s will is done on earth.

    Jesus tells His disciples to pray, in faith, that God will provide for their necessities each day. In the first century, common workers received their pay each day. In verses 25-34, Jesus will return to this theme of faith in the midst of physical needs.

    Forgiveness is the theme of the next verse in the prayer (ver. 12). Failure to obey is failure to pay a debt, which is sin. So Jesus tells His disciples to pray that God will forgive that debt, that disobedience, and Jesus ties forgiveness of His disciples to their willingness to forgive others their debts, their lack of obedience (ver. 14-15).

    God led Jesus into the wilderness so He could be tempted by the devil, so Jesus could be fully qualified to be man’s high priest (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15-17). But God will test man’s willingness to obey Him or obey Satan, as He did Abraham (Gen. 22:1). Jesus’ point, then, here is that disciples should pray that the Father will be with them through the temptation and guide them so they will be delivered from evil.

CHRISTIANS FORGIVE – 6:14-15:

    Finally, Jesus reemphasizes in verses 14-15 that our forgiveness from God is dependent on us forgiving others! 

    One tool in the “toolbox” of Christian strength is prayer. 

Paul Holland

Living with Christ in the Shadow of the Cross John 12:31-36

    A young convert in Congo stated in a prayer: “Lord Jesus, You are the needle, and I am the cotton.”

    The missionary thought that was strange language so he asked the man about this unusual expression. What had happened was that the young convert had been at the school that day and seen the girls sewing. He noted that the thread always followed the needle.

    In the same way, he wanted to follow Jesus where He led.

    Jesus says “Follow Me” in the Gospel accounts twenty-one times. Six of those are duplicated in Matthew, Mark, and Luke with another eight unique occasions found in the Gospel of John. Jesus wants us to follow Him so closely at all times, so completely yielded to Him – with no hint of daylight between our lives and our teachings and His life and His teachings – that we follow Him as directly and dependently as the thread follows the needle.

    Consider the three contrasts that Jesus gives in the next six verses…

CONTRAST #1 – SATAN VERSUS JESUS – 12:31-32:

    The judgment of Satan, the hater of God, the deceiver of humans, and the enemy of all that is holy and righteous and good was about to happen. The death of Christ on the cross – unknown to Satan – was the nail in Satan’s coffin! Jesus states: “Now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” That is future tense. But Jesus says a similar thing in 16:11 but He uses a different tense: “the ruler of this world has been judged.” That tense refers to a settled, unchanging, state of things. In other words, once Jesus died and rose again, Satan was and is forever in a state of having been judged – and condemned by Jehovah God. His fate is sealed and His power over human beings is now broken as long as we are in Christ Jesus.

    But here’s the contrast… Verse 32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” When Satan put Jesus on the cross, it was the “death” of Satan’s power over  humankind. I have a sermon, I have not yet preached here, called the “Suicide of Satan” in which I show that point. 

    But, the death of Jesus on the cross is not the death of His power. Jesus says that if He is “lifted up from the earth,” He will “draw all men unto Me.” 

    Satan is doomed to judgment; Jesus came to save us from judgment. That’s the contrast.

CONTRAST #2 – DEATH VERSUS LIFE – 12:33-34:

    The “glorification” of Jesus and the Father’s name would certainly include the resurrection from the dead, but the resurrection could not happen until the death took place. And Jesus would die for theological reasons – to experience the separation from God that had to happen because of sin.

    The crowd, however, was confused at this prediction of His death. They understood from the “Law,” by which they could easily mean anything written in the OT (“Law” in the gospel of John can even refer to the book of Psalms) – that the “Messiah / Christ” was to “remain forever.” How could Jesus say “the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man.”

    So here is contrast #2 – Would the Messiah live forever or would He die? A number of verses from the OT might be in the Jews’ mind relative to the prediction that the Messiah would live forever: Psalm 110:4; Isaiah 9:7; Ezekiel 37:25; Daniel 7:14; Psalm 72:17; 89:35-37. 

    Here is the second contrast – How is it possible that the Messiah could both “die” and “live forever”? What was missing in the Jews’ understanding? Of course, it is the resurrection!

CONTRAST #3 – LIGHT VERSUS DARKNESS – 12:35-36:

    But Jesus does not enter into a discussion with the Jews about their misunderstanding of the nature of the Messiah. Notice in verse 35 He brings up the third contrast.

    Jesus says, “While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.” In other words, Jesus did not engage in a debate about their misunderstanding of the nature of the Messiah. He simply says, “I am the needle. You are the thread. Align yourself with Me while you can, so you can have the nature, the qualities of “light.” Without going into any further study, Christians are “sons of light” (1 Thess. 5:5; Eph. 5:8). We have the characteristics of walking in the light; we are identified with Christ who is “the” light. 

    The third contrast… We live in a dark world, but we don’t have to follow the darkness! 

    Three contrasts:

    Satan versus Jesus – Satan loses; Jesus wins.
Death versus life – Death loses; Life wins.
Light versus darkness – Darkness loses; light wins.

    Jesus is life and light. Identify yourself with Him so closely that there is no hint of daylight between you. In that way, you will avoid darkness, death, and Satan.

Paul Holland

Peter urges saints to regard themselves as sojourners and pilgrims. A sojourner is one who lives among aliens. Pilgrims live in a strange place, away from one’s own people. Hostility is injected into this alien, strange place by the phrase, which war against the soul (1 Pet. 2:11). He says the present dwelling place of Christians is in a strange, hostile land; a land where danger lurks in the form of fleshly lusts.

I know Americans who live abroad. They are literally sojourners. They are living in a country of which they are not native. The customs there are different from their homeland. Most of them live in relative safety from governmental persecution, but some do not. There is actual danger of deportation or threat of harassment while they live there. A remarkable thing about these people: they volunteered to live in this environment because they believe their being there would be helpful to the cause of Jesus. Living there is generally more rigorous and less comfortable than living in the USA. They have not forgotten their homeland and look forward to the time they can return.

Christians are living in a land which is not theirs and which is inhabited by people and influences which are foreign to them. How easy it is to forget that we are just pilgrims passing through. We are like Abraham who dwelled in tents (only a temporary home) while he traveled in search of the city which hath foundations (Heb. 11:9-10). He was incessantly looking for this permanent dwelling place.

The world is out to make us citizens. Its efforts, sometimes subtle, sometimes bold, are to make us feel at home here. We need to slip into something more comfortable. Since we are going to be here for awhile we ought to at least enjoy being here. Dont be so uptight.

I’m afraid many saints are vulnerable to this persuasive song the world sings. Some have concentrated so hard on the here and now that the there and then have all but been forgotten. We are surrounded with the gadgets of culture which dazzle and amaze our eyes and minds. The popular media praise modern paganism and denounce Christians with convictions as right-wing fanatics and bigots. Surely we do not want to be either fanatics or bigots. The only way to be relieved of those names is to cease opposition to the world’s agenda, be silent and lay down our arms.

Dear brethren, when we become sophisticated and are comfortable in our surroundings, the enemy has won. Our lips will be silenced in opposition to wrong and closed for use to convert others. Our numbers will dwindle, our influence lessen, until we are gone. Vanished! Unless we remain conscious to the designations of sojourners and pilgrims and act consistently with the meaning of those terms.

– by Ed Brand

Three “Grand Miracles” described in scripture shape the Christian’s understanding of God. Each of these three grand miracles have been challenged by non-believers and watered down by believers.

1. The Miracle of Creation
(Gen 1:1 NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The most insidious and damaging ideology ever foisted upon the mind of modern man is the notion that human beings are but animals, and the offspring of other, more primitive creatures. It’s known as the theory of organic evolution.

Tragically, multiplied thousands across the land have ingested this dogma.
• Evolution is not a scientific law. It is a mere hypothesis that falls quite beyond the pale of the scientific method (observation, experimentation, and verification).
• Many scientists dispute that evolutionary dogma is true science. Evolutionist Robert Jastow has conceded that belief in the accidental origin of life is “an act of faith much like faith in the power of a Supreme Being.”
• Theodore Tahmisian, a nuclear physicist with the Atomic Energy Commission, has said: “Scientists who go about teaching that evolution is a fact of life are great con men, and the story they are telling may be the greatest hoax ever. In explaining evolution we do not have one iota of fact … It is a tangled mishmash of guessing games and figure jaggling … If evolution occurred at all, it was probably in a very different manner than the way it is now taught”.

2. The Miracle of the Incarnation
How does God reveal Himself? Through scripture…through our conscience…through the indwelling Holy Spirit. But it begins for many through nature…called by a member of our weekly Beijing Skype Bible study just this past week “The Book of Nature.”

Psalm 19:1-6 (ESV)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Romans 1:18-21 (ESV)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 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.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

These two sets of verses were the first two studies we conducted with our teachers and students while in Jigzhou and Beijing.

In the Bible God tells us what He is like. We learn how He thinks, how He feels, and how we can expect Him to act. If we want to know God, we must begin by opening the Bible and reading what He has to say about Himself.

But God is infinite, and we are finite human beings. How can the finite ever really understand the infinite? How can the human ever truly know the divine?

It seems that God must reveal Himself to us in some way more personal than mere written words if we are ever to know Him genuinely.

And that is exactly what He did through Jesus Christ.
John 1:14-18 (ESV)
14 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.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Hebrews 1:1-3 (ESV)
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Jesus Christ is the out-shining of God’s glory and the perfect expression of God’s essential being. To know Him is to know God.

Jesus Himself made that claim when He said:
“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him. (John 14:7).

The knowledge of God is desirable.Will Durant wrote: “The greatest question of our time is not communish vs. Individualism, nor Europe vs. America, nor even the East vs. West; it is whether men can bear to live without God.”

The miracle of Jesus’ Birth.
Biblical names frequently have a profound theological meaning. For instance, in Isaiah 7:14 the prophecy was given: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

The name “Immanuel” in Hebrew means “God is with us,” and the prophecy finds its fulfillment in the birth of Jesus Christ.

By the use of “Immanuel,” at least two things are in view:
First, that Jesus is a divine being; he is God.
Second, there is the implication that in some way Deity has identified “with us.”

As the sustainer
The Bible teaches that the divine Christ sustains the very universe in which we live. In that great chapter which is designed to exalt the Lord, Colossians 1, Paul affirms that in Christ Colossians 1:17 (ESV) 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. “all things consist” (Col. 1:17).

In human nature
Though Christ was existing eternally as Deity, yet it was the divine plan that he become human. So in the fulness of time the “seed” of woman came to earth:
Genesis 3:15 (ESV)
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Galatians 4:4 (ESV)
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

In order that he might identify with us, Jesus came “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:3).

The Lord was tempted in all points, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15).

So he is able to deal compassionately and justly with those whom he is not ashamed to call his brethren (cf. Heb. 2:11, 17; 4:15).

Further, it was essential that he become human in order that he might die! The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus partook of human nature that Hebrews 2:14 (ESV) 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

Through his vicarious death
The identification of God the Son with us in his death is vividly stressed in Isaiah 53. Note the interchange of pronouns:
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows…he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:4ff).

With daily watchfulness
The Scriptures are filled with promises that God will be with his saints on a daily basis. He was with Joseph as a slave in Egypt (Gen. 39:2-3, 21). He was with Moses (Ex. 3:12) and Joshua (Josh. 1:5). The Psalmist could confidently claim: “Jehovah of hosts is with us” (Psa. 46:7).

Similarly, Jesus, in concluding the Great Commission, announced: “lo, I am with you always (phoenetic pronunciation: pas haymera: literally, all the days – i.e., day by day) even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20).

If not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father’s knowledge, and if the very hairs of our head are numbered (Matt. 10:29-30), we may be assured that the Lord watches over us and that he sees our ways and numbers our steps (Job. 31:4).

3. The Miracle of the Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the foundation of the Christian system (cf. 1 Cor. 15:14ff). If there was no resurrection, Christianity is a hoax, and we are wasting our time. But the truth is, the event of Jesus’ resurrection is incontrovertible.
Professor Thomas Arnold, a world-renowned historian, once said that Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the “best-attested fact in human history” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, IV, p. 2569).

(Rom 1:1-4 NIV) Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God– {2} the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures {3} regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, {4} and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1 Cor 15:20 NIV) But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

(1 Cor 15:23 NIV) But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

First, the resurrection is one of the major evidences that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Paul affirmed that Christ is “declared to be the Son of God with power … by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).

Second, Jesus’ resurrection represents an assurance that we can have forgiveness from our sins.
Paul contended: “… if Christ hath not been raised, our faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). The reverse of the apostle’s affirmation would be this: If Jesus was raised, sins will be forgiven when we obey the gospel – Acts 2:38; 22:16.

Third, the resurrection tells the world that the kingdom of God is ruled by a living sovereign.
The founder of Islam is dead and his bones lie dormant in the earth. But the founder of Christianity – sixty years after His death – appeared to John on the island of Patmos and said: “I am the first and the last, and the Living one … I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore …” (Rev. 1:17-18).

Fourth, Jesus’ resurrection proves that physical death is not the termination of human existence.
God, who is the giver of life (1 Tim. 6:13), has the power to reanimate the human body. Christ’s triumph over the grave is Heaven’s pledge to us that we too shall be raised. This is why Jesus is referred to as the “firstfruits of them that are asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20, 23).

Fifth, the Lord’s resurrection previewed the ultimate victory of Christianity over all its enemies.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus is depicted as a lamb that had been slain, but was standing again (5:6). This same Lord was “the lion of the tribe of Judah” that had overcome His foes (5:5). Christians too will overcome as a result of the Lamb’s sacrifice and victory over death (cf. Rev. 12:11).

IV. These Questions Must Be Asked and Answered.
1. Do we accept these three “Grand Miracles”?
2. Do we accept the belief in a God who exists apart from and superior to all others?
3. Did God become man?
4. Did Jesus experience resurrection?

Gary Davenport