by Katie Erickson
Being raised in Lutheran church and school for my entire childhood, the first thing I think of when I see the word “begotten” is a brief phrase from the Nicene Creed: “begotten, not made.” This particular context refers to Jesus as being the Son of God; He was begotten, not made or created.
But what does begotten mean? Literally, it means “fathered by.” It is often seen in genealogies in Scripture; so-and-so begot so-and-so, who begot so-and-so, et cetera. For example, I was begotten by my father, and you were begotten by your father.
How does this relate to your faith, you may ask? Good question! There are two ways this word is important.
First, those genealogies I mentioned earlier are really important. We may have a tendency to gloss over them because they seem boring when we don’t know those names, but they are proof that Jesus is the Messiah. I was recently studying the genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22 with the student to whom I teach Biblical Hebrew. As he put it, it’s those verses that make the entire book worthwhile - the story of Ruth is so important because it leads to the genealogy of Jesus! There are many similar genealogies in the Bible, especially in Matthew 1, that are key to showing us that Jesus had a real bloodline and thus was truly human. They also show fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies about the bloodline of the Messiah, thus proving that Jesus was truly the Messiah.
Second, the word begotten is used of Jesus’ relationship with the Father. In John 1:14 (NASB) it says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Similarly, John 3:16 (NASB) also refers to Jesus in this way: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” These verses are important for a few reasons. They identify Jesus as the ONLY begotten Son of the Father. There is only one Son, and thus there is only one Savior! They also tell us that although He was fathered by God Himself, Jesus was still a man among us. Because of these things, He was able to save us from our sin because He was truly God and truly man. Earlier in John 1, it says how Jesus was there before the creation of the world, and therefore we know He was not a created being such as ourselves. He was “begotten, not made” like the Nicene creed states.
While the word begotten is not one that we typically use in everyday modern language, as you can see it is definitely an important one to our Christian faith!
READ MORE
Being raised in Lutheran church and school for my entire childhood, the first thing I think of when I see the word “begotten” is a brief phrase from the Nicene Creed: “begotten, not made.” This particular context refers to Jesus as being the Son of God; He was begotten, not made or created.
But what does begotten mean? Literally, it means “fathered by.” It is often seen in genealogies in Scripture; so-and-so begot so-and-so, who begot so-and-so, et cetera. For example, I was begotten by my father, and you were begotten by your father.
How does this relate to your faith, you may ask? Good question! There are two ways this word is important.
First, those genealogies I mentioned earlier are really important. We may have a tendency to gloss over them because they seem boring when we don’t know those names, but they are proof that Jesus is the Messiah. I was recently studying the genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22 with the student to whom I teach Biblical Hebrew. As he put it, it’s those verses that make the entire book worthwhile - the story of Ruth is so important because it leads to the genealogy of Jesus! There are many similar genealogies in the Bible, especially in Matthew 1, that are key to showing us that Jesus had a real bloodline and thus was truly human. They also show fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies about the bloodline of the Messiah, thus proving that Jesus was truly the Messiah.
Second, the word begotten is used of Jesus’ relationship with the Father. In John 1:14 (NASB) it says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Similarly, John 3:16 (NASB) also refers to Jesus in this way: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” These verses are important for a few reasons. They identify Jesus as the ONLY begotten Son of the Father. There is only one Son, and thus there is only one Savior! They also tell us that although He was fathered by God Himself, Jesus was still a man among us. Because of these things, He was able to save us from our sin because He was truly God and truly man. Earlier in John 1, it says how Jesus was there before the creation of the world, and therefore we know He was not a created being such as ourselves. He was “begotten, not made” like the Nicene creed states.
While the word begotten is not one that we typically use in everyday modern language, as you can see it is definitely an important one to our Christian faith!
by Logan Ames
I think we all know that “authority” is not a word we’re particularly fond of unless we are the ones that have it. As humans, our pride makes us want to have control, power, and authority, even though we often don’t want the burden of responsibility that comes with it. This culture exists as much within the Church as it does everywhere else. Godly men and women in leadership positions are led astray by their need to keep whatever control they think they have (I say it that way because almost all control is an illusion anyway). The consequences of this problem, including but not limited to major divisions in the Church, can extend for many years. It is sad that we must face this reality considering that the Apostle Paul clearly tells us that “Christ is the head (singular) of the church” (Ephesians 5:23).
Here’s the thing about any type of authority: It always belongs to the author! Did you ever think about the fact that “authority” obviously has the same origin as “author”? I’m guessing you haven’t because in our culture, the two words are used in different contexts. But in fact, they both originate from the Latin auctor meaning “creator” or “originator”. Therefore, authority belongs first and foremost to the creator of whatever it is we are talking about, and then secondarily to those who accurately carry out the design of the creator. Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball. People with present authority can tweak some of the rules, but no one except James Naismith would really have the authority to change the fundamentals of the game (i.e. shooting at a hoop, dribbling, defending). Founders/owners of businesses don’t have to ask anyone when they can take a vacation or how much they can charge, but I do because I work for an employer. The founding fathers of the United States established laws as they saw fit, and this is why it’s a shame to see anytime our present lawmakers are not consistent with our founding fathers, regardless of which political side it is.
While the preceding examples are not necessarily related to the Bible, the same concept is true with Biblical authority. God is not only the Creator of the Bible, but also of those whom He used to physically write it, and of those who read it! So, simply put, God has authority over the writing, reading, and applying of His Word. We have NO AUTHORITY to change it or tweak it, only to carry it out if we are consistent with the design of its original Creator. When we try to make it say something that it does not say in order to fit OUR design, we are usurping authority that is not given to us and we will suffer the consequences. Well-known examples of this would include justifying slavery, polygamy, abuse, homosexuality, and oppression.
God is not only the originator of the Bible, but also of the very faith that we have. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 [NIV]). As Christians, we must remember with humility the origin of not only our authority, but also the very faith that we profess. With this in mind, how can we ever be arrogant in our dealings with others? How can we not be compassionate, knowing that what we have was given to us out of love? How can we not speak truth, knowing that to tweak it to our liking removes all legitimate authority ever given to us by the One who wrote it? I challenge you to consider these questions as you think about your handling of the Bible.
READ MORE
I think we all know that “authority” is not a word we’re particularly fond of unless we are the ones that have it. As humans, our pride makes us want to have control, power, and authority, even though we often don’t want the burden of responsibility that comes with it. This culture exists as much within the Church as it does everywhere else. Godly men and women in leadership positions are led astray by their need to keep whatever control they think they have (I say it that way because almost all control is an illusion anyway). The consequences of this problem, including but not limited to major divisions in the Church, can extend for many years. It is sad that we must face this reality considering that the Apostle Paul clearly tells us that “Christ is the head (singular) of the church” (Ephesians 5:23).
Here’s the thing about any type of authority: It always belongs to the author! Did you ever think about the fact that “authority” obviously has the same origin as “author”? I’m guessing you haven’t because in our culture, the two words are used in different contexts. But in fact, they both originate from the Latin auctor meaning “creator” or “originator”. Therefore, authority belongs first and foremost to the creator of whatever it is we are talking about, and then secondarily to those who accurately carry out the design of the creator. Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball. People with present authority can tweak some of the rules, but no one except James Naismith would really have the authority to change the fundamentals of the game (i.e. shooting at a hoop, dribbling, defending). Founders/owners of businesses don’t have to ask anyone when they can take a vacation or how much they can charge, but I do because I work for an employer. The founding fathers of the United States established laws as they saw fit, and this is why it’s a shame to see anytime our present lawmakers are not consistent with our founding fathers, regardless of which political side it is.
While the preceding examples are not necessarily related to the Bible, the same concept is true with Biblical authority. God is not only the Creator of the Bible, but also of those whom He used to physically write it, and of those who read it! So, simply put, God has authority over the writing, reading, and applying of His Word. We have NO AUTHORITY to change it or tweak it, only to carry it out if we are consistent with the design of its original Creator. When we try to make it say something that it does not say in order to fit OUR design, we are usurping authority that is not given to us and we will suffer the consequences. Well-known examples of this would include justifying slavery, polygamy, abuse, homosexuality, and oppression.
God is not only the originator of the Bible, but also of the very faith that we have. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 [NIV]). As Christians, we must remember with humility the origin of not only our authority, but also the very faith that we profess. With this in mind, how can we ever be arrogant in our dealings with others? How can we not be compassionate, knowing that what we have was given to us out of love? How can we not speak truth, knowing that to tweak it to our liking removes all legitimate authority ever given to us by the One who wrote it? I challenge you to consider these questions as you think about your handling of the Bible.
by Katie Erickson
Authority. It’s one of those words that a lot of people dread. After all, why else would people run from the authorities, or complain about having to submit to authority? We as humans typically prefer our independence, and not have to be under an authority of any sort. While it’s important for all people to obey the authorities put in place over them, such as the police, parents, teachers, or your boss, those of us who are Christians need to obey another authority as well - the Bible.
Everything you believe in life, whether Christian or not, all boils down to one question: what is your source of authority? In other words, why do you believe what you believe, and where did those beliefs originate from? Christians have four places where our source of authority can be, and for most people it’s a combination of all four but not with equal weight. Those four places are the Scriptures, tradition, reason, and experience.
The Scriptures are, of course, the Holy Bible. I consider this to be the Old and New Testaments. Tradition is not just those things the church does all the time but rather the tradition of theologians that have gone before us. Tradition relies on all of the collective wisdom gained by Biblical scholars throughout the last few centuries. Reason is our intellect and how our brains are designed to use logic to figure things out. Finally, experience is those things that have happened in your life that made a big impact on the person you are today.
For me, my primary source of authority is most definitely the Bible. Last week’s post gives many of my reasons for this, but the most important one is because I believe it to be the inspired Word of God. It governs all aspects of my life and instructs me how to live so I can be a true Christ follower and worship God with my life, which is what I desire to do.
However, a person who is not a Christian would obviously have a different source of authority for their life. Perhaps it could be a book from another religion, or relying solely on their own intellect, or others around them. A person’s source of authority affects everything they think, believe, say, and do in their life, whether they realize it or not.
It is important to understand what the source of authority is in your life.
Is it the Bible? Or is it something else?
How trustworthy is your source of authority?
Why is it your authority?
Even if you don’t acknowledge one particular thing as your source of authority, investigate your life and try and figure out why you have the beliefs you have. Knowing your source of authority, and knowing that of those you are in conversation with, will help you understand both yourself and others much better.
One little side note from Jason DeZurik: For our atheists friends who read these, we know some of you say you have "lack of belief" and not belief. We hear you and are doing our best to undertand what you are saying. We would ask though that you please understand that your life is still based on something. So, please do an honest assessment of what is your source of authority? Thanks for reading and have a great day.
READ MORE
Authority. It’s one of those words that a lot of people dread. After all, why else would people run from the authorities, or complain about having to submit to authority? We as humans typically prefer our independence, and not have to be under an authority of any sort. While it’s important for all people to obey the authorities put in place over them, such as the police, parents, teachers, or your boss, those of us who are Christians need to obey another authority as well - the Bible.
Everything you believe in life, whether Christian or not, all boils down to one question: what is your source of authority? In other words, why do you believe what you believe, and where did those beliefs originate from? Christians have four places where our source of authority can be, and for most people it’s a combination of all four but not with equal weight. Those four places are the Scriptures, tradition, reason, and experience.
The Scriptures are, of course, the Holy Bible. I consider this to be the Old and New Testaments. Tradition is not just those things the church does all the time but rather the tradition of theologians that have gone before us. Tradition relies on all of the collective wisdom gained by Biblical scholars throughout the last few centuries. Reason is our intellect and how our brains are designed to use logic to figure things out. Finally, experience is those things that have happened in your life that made a big impact on the person you are today.
For me, my primary source of authority is most definitely the Bible. Last week’s post gives many of my reasons for this, but the most important one is because I believe it to be the inspired Word of God. It governs all aspects of my life and instructs me how to live so I can be a true Christ follower and worship God with my life, which is what I desire to do.
However, a person who is not a Christian would obviously have a different source of authority for their life. Perhaps it could be a book from another religion, or relying solely on their own intellect, or others around them. A person’s source of authority affects everything they think, believe, say, and do in their life, whether they realize it or not.
It is important to understand what the source of authority is in your life.
Is it the Bible? Or is it something else?
How trustworthy is your source of authority?
Why is it your authority?
Even if you don’t acknowledge one particular thing as your source of authority, investigate your life and try and figure out why you have the beliefs you have. Knowing your source of authority, and knowing that of those you are in conversation with, will help you understand both yourself and others much better.
One little side note from Jason DeZurik: For our atheists friends who read these, we know some of you say you have "lack of belief" and not belief. We hear you and are doing our best to undertand what you are saying. We would ask though that you please understand that your life is still based on something. So, please do an honest assessment of what is your source of authority? Thanks for reading and have a great day.
by Logan Ames
"Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth". That is probably the best description of the contents of the Good Book that I have ever heard (especially since it's a clever and fitting acronym). There has never been, nor will there ever be another work quite like it. Its content, validity, and truth can be disputed by those who do not have faith in it, but what cannot be disputed is its impact on the world and its effect on people of all ages and generations. I've spent a lot of time studying this book for a wide variety of reasons and settings. When I stop and think about what makes the Bible different from any other book ever written, it's rather obvious both on a faith level AND a logic level.
The thing that separates the Bible from every other book that is obvious on the faith level is, as Katie pointed out in Monday's blog, that it is "God-breathed", or inspired by God Himself. If you have chosen to put your faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ, He gives you the gift of the Holy Spirit which allows you to see what you could not see before, particularly that God worked through people, places, and events all throughout Scripture to bring glory to His name and abundant life for all who follow Him. If you have resisted and not chosen to put your faith in Him but are instead waiting for more proof, you are not able to see the obviousness of His inspiration of Scripture. It's that simple. You may be one who is wondering whether God wrote the Bible or humans did. While we know humans physically wrote down the words, you cannot understand God's involvement in it until AFTER you have chosen to believe by faith.
But as I mentioned, there is something about the Bible that separates it from all other books that is obvious to even those who have not put their faith in God. In this world, there are tons of books that are separated into specific genres so that we can find exactly what we are looking for when we go to a bookstore. Children's Literature is separate from History, which is separate from Mystery, which is separate from Religious, which is separate from Romance, etc. However, in this one book we know as the Bible, all of these genres are INCLUDED in the one, giant redemption story! Think about it. What other book can be at times understood by little children, and at other times misunderstood by doctors, teachers, and scholars? Jesus himself reflected on this after realizing that the very towns from which his disciples came and where many of his miracles took place were unrepentant. "At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure'" (Matthew 11:25-26 [NIV]).
As I'm sure many of you have as well, I've seen this in my own life and those close to me. One of the earliest books I remember being exposed to as a kid was the Bible. While I couldn't understand much of it, there were basic truths I learned, such as God's love for me and the need for me to love others. I grew up being part of the church and its youth group and eventually went to seminary. I graduated from seminary this past August and have certainly grown in my knowledge and understanding of the Bible. However, the most important thing I came to realize about the Bible was that, the more I learn, the more I realize there's still so much I've yet to learn. One of the most influential people in my life concerning that reality was my Hebrew professor at Winebrenner Theological Seminary, Dr. Gary Staats. He "knows" more about the Bible than anyone I've ever met, by a long shot. He's been studying the ORIGINAL LANGUAGES of the Bible for more years than I've been alive. Yet, the amazing thing is that he still studies it every single day and learns new and exciting truths. In his own words, he has "barely scratched the surface". I contrast Dr. Staats with my adopted nieces and nephew, who came into my life after being adopted by my brother and his wife. They've experienced so much brokenness in their short time on this earth due to the bad choices of their biological parents, yet I see the impact of the Bible on their lives. My nephew (age 7) picked his new name to be "Joseph Joshua", because he read about two men in the Bible whom he really liked. My youngest niece Amanda (age 3) already has most of the song "Jesus Loves Me" down and it is truly a joy to hear her sing it. The one part she never messes up is "the Bible tells me so".
Just to recap, my niece, who has received very little love by anyone in her life for her first two and a half years and who can barely understand my brother's house rules, has already begun to understand the Biblical truth that Jesus loves her. My seminary professor, who has forgotten more about the Bible than I'll ever know, learns new things about it every day. Friends, there's just no other book you can say this about. It's impact on the whole world is obvious, even if you choose not to believe in it. The Bible is a love story, a history lesson, a mystery novel, a religious guide, a children's classic, and a scholarly work ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Wherever you are on your faith journey, I pray you understand just how special this book of "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth" really is!
READ MORE
"Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth". That is probably the best description of the contents of the Good Book that I have ever heard (especially since it's a clever and fitting acronym). There has never been, nor will there ever be another work quite like it. Its content, validity, and truth can be disputed by those who do not have faith in it, but what cannot be disputed is its impact on the world and its effect on people of all ages and generations. I've spent a lot of time studying this book for a wide variety of reasons and settings. When I stop and think about what makes the Bible different from any other book ever written, it's rather obvious both on a faith level AND a logic level.
The thing that separates the Bible from every other book that is obvious on the faith level is, as Katie pointed out in Monday's blog, that it is "God-breathed", or inspired by God Himself. If you have chosen to put your faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ, He gives you the gift of the Holy Spirit which allows you to see what you could not see before, particularly that God worked through people, places, and events all throughout Scripture to bring glory to His name and abundant life for all who follow Him. If you have resisted and not chosen to put your faith in Him but are instead waiting for more proof, you are not able to see the obviousness of His inspiration of Scripture. It's that simple. You may be one who is wondering whether God wrote the Bible or humans did. While we know humans physically wrote down the words, you cannot understand God's involvement in it until AFTER you have chosen to believe by faith.
But as I mentioned, there is something about the Bible that separates it from all other books that is obvious to even those who have not put their faith in God. In this world, there are tons of books that are separated into specific genres so that we can find exactly what we are looking for when we go to a bookstore. Children's Literature is separate from History, which is separate from Mystery, which is separate from Religious, which is separate from Romance, etc. However, in this one book we know as the Bible, all of these genres are INCLUDED in the one, giant redemption story! Think about it. What other book can be at times understood by little children, and at other times misunderstood by doctors, teachers, and scholars? Jesus himself reflected on this after realizing that the very towns from which his disciples came and where many of his miracles took place were unrepentant. "At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure'" (Matthew 11:25-26 [NIV]).
As I'm sure many of you have as well, I've seen this in my own life and those close to me. One of the earliest books I remember being exposed to as a kid was the Bible. While I couldn't understand much of it, there were basic truths I learned, such as God's love for me and the need for me to love others. I grew up being part of the church and its youth group and eventually went to seminary. I graduated from seminary this past August and have certainly grown in my knowledge and understanding of the Bible. However, the most important thing I came to realize about the Bible was that, the more I learn, the more I realize there's still so much I've yet to learn. One of the most influential people in my life concerning that reality was my Hebrew professor at Winebrenner Theological Seminary, Dr. Gary Staats. He "knows" more about the Bible than anyone I've ever met, by a long shot. He's been studying the ORIGINAL LANGUAGES of the Bible for more years than I've been alive. Yet, the amazing thing is that he still studies it every single day and learns new and exciting truths. In his own words, he has "barely scratched the surface". I contrast Dr. Staats with my adopted nieces and nephew, who came into my life after being adopted by my brother and his wife. They've experienced so much brokenness in their short time on this earth due to the bad choices of their biological parents, yet I see the impact of the Bible on their lives. My nephew (age 7) picked his new name to be "Joseph Joshua", because he read about two men in the Bible whom he really liked. My youngest niece Amanda (age 3) already has most of the song "Jesus Loves Me" down and it is truly a joy to hear her sing it. The one part she never messes up is "the Bible tells me so".
Just to recap, my niece, who has received very little love by anyone in her life for her first two and a half years and who can barely understand my brother's house rules, has already begun to understand the Biblical truth that Jesus loves her. My seminary professor, who has forgotten more about the Bible than I'll ever know, learns new things about it every day. Friends, there's just no other book you can say this about. It's impact on the whole world is obvious, even if you choose not to believe in it. The Bible is a love story, a history lesson, a mystery novel, a religious guide, a children's classic, and a scholarly work ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Wherever you are on your faith journey, I pray you understand just how special this book of "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth" really is!
by Katie Erickson
“The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me! I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!”
I have many fond memories of singing that children’s song in Sunday School, both as a small child and as a teenager helping in my mom’s kindergarten class. As a small child, I didn’t really understand the lyrics - especially that stand alone part - but it was still a cool song because you got to stand up when you said that phrase!
Thinking back to that song now that I’m an adult, those words really are powerful. I place my faith on this book alone - this book that was written many centuries ago, and penned by ordinary humans - over 40 of them actually! Some of the books within the Bible are as old as 1450 B.C., while the newer ones are dated to the 1st century A.D. It is made up of a total of 66 individual books - 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Despite this span of time and variety of books and authors, it is still one cohesive work. The Bible is considered to be the most best-selling book in the entire world, although in many countries a person can be arrested or worse simply for owning it. It has been translated into 2,018 different languages.
Those facts are pretty impressive, but what else makes this book so special?
The best answer I have to this question is found within the Bible itself. According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Let’s pick that passage apart a bit. First of all, it is “God-breathed.” That means that the words are truly inspired by God. Yes, human hands physically wrote them down, but God gave them direction and inspiration as to what to write. Second, it is useful for many things - teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training. Why? So that the servant of God may be equipped. The Bible equips us, as God’s servants, to do the work that He has prepared for us to do.
Compared to other ancient writings from similar time period, the Bible has the most archaeological evidence. Even though we do not have the original autographs of the Scriptures, we have at least portions of many early copies. Many modern archaeologists have made discoveries that confirm what the Bible says. Not only that, there is no other book in recorded history that contains so many prophecies that were fulfilled.
But, the best part about the Bible is that through it, we can come to know the Creator of the entire universe, and to receive salvation from Jesus, the Redeemer of all humankind! I have never read another book that is so powerful and life-changing, because it is not simply words on a page when the God’s Spirit dwells in the one reading it. The Bible is my primary authority by which I base my decisions in life, and next week we will discuss that aspect in more depth.
The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me!
READ MORE
“The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me! I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!”
I have many fond memories of singing that children’s song in Sunday School, both as a small child and as a teenager helping in my mom’s kindergarten class. As a small child, I didn’t really understand the lyrics - especially that stand alone part - but it was still a cool song because you got to stand up when you said that phrase!
Thinking back to that song now that I’m an adult, those words really are powerful. I place my faith on this book alone - this book that was written many centuries ago, and penned by ordinary humans - over 40 of them actually! Some of the books within the Bible are as old as 1450 B.C., while the newer ones are dated to the 1st century A.D. It is made up of a total of 66 individual books - 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Despite this span of time and variety of books and authors, it is still one cohesive work. The Bible is considered to be the most best-selling book in the entire world, although in many countries a person can be arrested or worse simply for owning it. It has been translated into 2,018 different languages.
Those facts are pretty impressive, but what else makes this book so special?
The best answer I have to this question is found within the Bible itself. According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Let’s pick that passage apart a bit. First of all, it is “God-breathed.” That means that the words are truly inspired by God. Yes, human hands physically wrote them down, but God gave them direction and inspiration as to what to write. Second, it is useful for many things - teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training. Why? So that the servant of God may be equipped. The Bible equips us, as God’s servants, to do the work that He has prepared for us to do.
Compared to other ancient writings from similar time period, the Bible has the most archaeological evidence. Even though we do not have the original autographs of the Scriptures, we have at least portions of many early copies. Many modern archaeologists have made discoveries that confirm what the Bible says. Not only that, there is no other book in recorded history that contains so many prophecies that were fulfilled.
But, the best part about the Bible is that through it, we can come to know the Creator of the entire universe, and to receive salvation from Jesus, the Redeemer of all humankind! I have never read another book that is so powerful and life-changing, because it is not simply words on a page when the God’s Spirit dwells in the one reading it. The Bible is my primary authority by which I base my decisions in life, and next week we will discuss that aspect in more depth.
The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me!
by Logan Ames
I think we could probably all agree that one of the most annoying types of people in the world is the apologist. You know who I'm talking about. This person exists in many areas of life. It's the guy who is always making excuses for why he or his team lost. "The referees made bad calls". "The injuries were impossible to overcome". "The weather was awful". Finally, the absolute worst in my opinion: "There's a conspiracy against my team and it's obvious that the authorities just simply don't want us to win". If you are a sports fan like me, you may have used these excuses before. You may also, like me, be completely annoyed at those who say these things rather than just simply admitting that their favorite team got beat fairly, especially when their favorite team is the one you can't stand! The apologist also exists in the realm of politics. He rips the candidate from the opposing party for getting caught in a scandal, and then makes excuses for the candidate he supports who ends up in a similar situation. I could go on, but you get the point. An apologist is annoying in any area of life because he is completely irrational, and the only one who can't see it is him!
Those of you who are reading this and do not profess to be believers may feel that Christians are apologists according to the description I gave above. You feel that our claims are unfounded, unsupported, and irrational. You feel that we sit back and "make excuses" for things in the Bible or the Church that do not seem to be consistent with the God we serve. Because we remain steadfast in our faith, you may see us as annoying apologists. I'd like to explain why we do not fit into that judgment and maybe even more clearly explain something about our faith in the process.
As Katie pointed out in Monday's blog, "apologetics" simply refers to the process of defending something, more specifically the Christian faith for the purpose of these blogs. While we will always defend our faith in Jesus Christ as the only one who can save us from our sins and give us hope and abundant life, that does NOT mean that we become apologists for those who have used the Christian faith to justify all kinds of evil. We also don't need to defend every apparent contradiction in the Bible. The goal of our "apologetics" is not to prove ourselves right and everyone else wrong. Instead, we aim to offer the rest of the world the same defense that we have. We will not apologize for our faith (as Jason said), but we also will not apologize for our failures in the sense that we try to defend or justify ourselves. Romans 3:23-24 explains that "all have sinned...and are JUSTIFIED FREELY by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus". You see, when we talk about "defending our faith", it has nothing to do with what we have done, what we have discovered, or how we are correct. We are actually defending our belief in the fact that we have no defense, and therefore needed Christ to be our "apology" for us. "God made him who had no sin to be sin (literally a sin offering) for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21 [NIV]).
For those of you who want to argue with Christians about all the problems religion has caused or all the apparent contradictions in the Bible (which only exist because of human translation), please realize that many of us know why we believe what we believe. We also know many followers of Christ do not seem to know what they believe and why they believe it. We here at Worldview Warriors are not looking to prove anything though or "win" an argument. We engage in these conversations because we desperately want the whole world to understand the hope, love, and "apology" we have in Christ. I can't speak for all Christians worldwide obviously, but I can speak for myself and the others who are part of this organization that puts out these blogs. Hopefully, if you've been reading these blogs, whether you consider yourself a follower of Christ of not, you have seen that we are not apologists. We make no excuses for our mistakes or those of the Church. We don't seek to place ourselves above anyone, including those who don't agree with our faith. Instead, we seek to offer what we have to everyone, because we believe that without this "defense", we would all be doomed. Looking at things this way, you might realize that our failures are not a reason to reject Christ. In actuality, they are a reason to turn to him completely. I once heard someone say it this way: "How amazing is the God we serve, that He would take a group of people (Church) like that who are complete messes and love them, nurture them, train them, and send them out to bring Him glory!" I can't remember who said that, but it hit the nail on the head. Whether you are a Christian or not, I hope and pray that you will stop looking to defend yourself or YOUR thoughts and turn to the One who through obedience on the cross became the only "apology" we will ever need.
READ MORE
I think we could probably all agree that one of the most annoying types of people in the world is the apologist. You know who I'm talking about. This person exists in many areas of life. It's the guy who is always making excuses for why he or his team lost. "The referees made bad calls". "The injuries were impossible to overcome". "The weather was awful". Finally, the absolute worst in my opinion: "There's a conspiracy against my team and it's obvious that the authorities just simply don't want us to win". If you are a sports fan like me, you may have used these excuses before. You may also, like me, be completely annoyed at those who say these things rather than just simply admitting that their favorite team got beat fairly, especially when their favorite team is the one you can't stand! The apologist also exists in the realm of politics. He rips the candidate from the opposing party for getting caught in a scandal, and then makes excuses for the candidate he supports who ends up in a similar situation. I could go on, but you get the point. An apologist is annoying in any area of life because he is completely irrational, and the only one who can't see it is him!
Those of you who are reading this and do not profess to be believers may feel that Christians are apologists according to the description I gave above. You feel that our claims are unfounded, unsupported, and irrational. You feel that we sit back and "make excuses" for things in the Bible or the Church that do not seem to be consistent with the God we serve. Because we remain steadfast in our faith, you may see us as annoying apologists. I'd like to explain why we do not fit into that judgment and maybe even more clearly explain something about our faith in the process.
As Katie pointed out in Monday's blog, "apologetics" simply refers to the process of defending something, more specifically the Christian faith for the purpose of these blogs. While we will always defend our faith in Jesus Christ as the only one who can save us from our sins and give us hope and abundant life, that does NOT mean that we become apologists for those who have used the Christian faith to justify all kinds of evil. We also don't need to defend every apparent contradiction in the Bible. The goal of our "apologetics" is not to prove ourselves right and everyone else wrong. Instead, we aim to offer the rest of the world the same defense that we have. We will not apologize for our faith (as Jason said), but we also will not apologize for our failures in the sense that we try to defend or justify ourselves. Romans 3:23-24 explains that "all have sinned...and are JUSTIFIED FREELY by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus". You see, when we talk about "defending our faith", it has nothing to do with what we have done, what we have discovered, or how we are correct. We are actually defending our belief in the fact that we have no defense, and therefore needed Christ to be our "apology" for us. "God made him who had no sin to be sin (literally a sin offering) for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21 [NIV]).
For those of you who want to argue with Christians about all the problems religion has caused or all the apparent contradictions in the Bible (which only exist because of human translation), please realize that many of us know why we believe what we believe. We also know many followers of Christ do not seem to know what they believe and why they believe it. We here at Worldview Warriors are not looking to prove anything though or "win" an argument. We engage in these conversations because we desperately want the whole world to understand the hope, love, and "apology" we have in Christ. I can't speak for all Christians worldwide obviously, but I can speak for myself and the others who are part of this organization that puts out these blogs. Hopefully, if you've been reading these blogs, whether you consider yourself a follower of Christ of not, you have seen that we are not apologists. We make no excuses for our mistakes or those of the Church. We don't seek to place ourselves above anyone, including those who don't agree with our faith. Instead, we seek to offer what we have to everyone, because we believe that without this "defense", we would all be doomed. Looking at things this way, you might realize that our failures are not a reason to reject Christ. In actuality, they are a reason to turn to him completely. I once heard someone say it this way: "How amazing is the God we serve, that He would take a group of people (Church) like that who are complete messes and love them, nurture them, train them, and send them out to bring Him glory!" I can't remember who said that, but it hit the nail on the head. Whether you are a Christian or not, I hope and pray that you will stop looking to defend yourself or YOUR thoughts and turn to the One who through obedience on the cross became the only "apology" we will ever need.
by Katie Erickson
Back in 2005, I was driving home from work one day and I heard an awesome song on the local Christian radio station - it sounded just like the country song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” but I found out it was actually “The Devil Went Down to Jordan,” a song about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness! That was my first experience with the band known as ApologetiX (www.apologetix.com). They’re a Christian parody band, so they change the words of popular songs, all the way from oldies of the 1960s to modern day songs, to explain Bible stories or explain concepts of the Christian faith. They take their band name from our word of the week, which is apologetics.
Apologetics comes from the Greek word apologetikos, which means “suitable for defense.” Apologetics can be defined as providing a reasoned account of the grounds for believing in the Christian faith. When we give such an account, that account is called an apology. Apology is from the Greek word apologia, meaning speaking in defense of. We need to defend our faith to those who would try to sway us from it.
Being able to give an apology of your faith is of utmost importance to Christians. We need to be able to explain to nonbelievers why we believe what we believe. 1 Peter 3:15-16 gives us the command to do this:
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
Take note of the phrase in the middle of that passage - “with gentleness and respect.” If you present your apology with rudeness and anger, it will turn off the person you’re talking to. Respect that person’s apology of what they believe when presenting yours, and they will better respect both you and Christ, the person your apologetic is for.
I encourage you to think through your faith and why you believe what you believe. I had the opportunity to do this during the theology classes I took during my seminary studies. We students had to write a paper on various topics of the faith, including God, sin, and what happens at the end of the world. It was a very challenging experience to get my faith down on paper, especially why I believe those things, but very worthwhile.
Think through your faith and be ready with your apologetic, so when someone asks you why you believe something, you can tell them the reason for the hope that you have - with gentleness and respect.
A note from Jason DeZurik: Due to some of you possibly being confused by the word "apology" in this post, please remember that Katie takes us back to the origin of the word and what it means. We do not apologize for our faith. The word "apology" here means, speaking in defense of. So when giving a defense of your faith in Christ remember to do it in love and let us not forget what General George Patton Jr. has to say about defense, "Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more." We need to remember that a strong defense can be a strong offense as well. Have a great week!
READ MORE
Back in 2005, I was driving home from work one day and I heard an awesome song on the local Christian radio station - it sounded just like the country song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” but I found out it was actually “The Devil Went Down to Jordan,” a song about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness! That was my first experience with the band known as ApologetiX (www.apologetix.com). They’re a Christian parody band, so they change the words of popular songs, all the way from oldies of the 1960s to modern day songs, to explain Bible stories or explain concepts of the Christian faith. They take their band name from our word of the week, which is apologetics.
Apologetics comes from the Greek word apologetikos, which means “suitable for defense.” Apologetics can be defined as providing a reasoned account of the grounds for believing in the Christian faith. When we give such an account, that account is called an apology. Apology is from the Greek word apologia, meaning speaking in defense of. We need to defend our faith to those who would try to sway us from it.
Being able to give an apology of your faith is of utmost importance to Christians. We need to be able to explain to nonbelievers why we believe what we believe. 1 Peter 3:15-16 gives us the command to do this:
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
Take note of the phrase in the middle of that passage - “with gentleness and respect.” If you present your apology with rudeness and anger, it will turn off the person you’re talking to. Respect that person’s apology of what they believe when presenting yours, and they will better respect both you and Christ, the person your apologetic is for.
I encourage you to think through your faith and why you believe what you believe. I had the opportunity to do this during the theology classes I took during my seminary studies. We students had to write a paper on various topics of the faith, including God, sin, and what happens at the end of the world. It was a very challenging experience to get my faith down on paper, especially why I believe those things, but very worthwhile.
Think through your faith and be ready with your apologetic, so when someone asks you why you believe something, you can tell them the reason for the hope that you have - with gentleness and respect.
A note from Jason DeZurik: Due to some of you possibly being confused by the word "apology" in this post, please remember that Katie takes us back to the origin of the word and what it means. We do not apologize for our faith. The word "apology" here means, speaking in defense of. So when giving a defense of your faith in Christ remember to do it in love and let us not forget what General George Patton Jr. has to say about defense, "Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more." We need to remember that a strong defense can be a strong offense as well. Have a great week!
