Jonah 1:9 "He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.”
Introduction: What Christians can learn from a reluctant prophet regarding the subject of origins and creation
In reading through the opening chapters of the Book of Jonah, one discovers a statement made by the reluctant prophet Jonah in the middle of a great storm. The text sets the scene of a ship full of men on a storm tossed monstrosity of water. God is the one orchestrating the Providential scene to get Jonah's attention, but instead the pagan sailors are quaking in their shoes. After crying out helplessly to their mythological deities, the men arouse a sleeping Jonah to divulge to them the cause of the storm. Lots had been cast and the sailors discovered that Jonah had been fleeing from God. The first words recorded to have come from Jonah's lips was an affirmation of God's Sovereignty and creation of the dry sea and land in Jonah 1:9.
What would you had told those sailors in the heat of such a moment? They all worshipped various deities whom they believed could be manipulated or who had jurisdiction over local areas. They had denied what the creation around them had told them of the Sovereign and creative power of God in exchange for deities of their own manufacture. (compare Romans 1:18-25) Jonah's affirmation came deep from a heart that though in rebellion at the time, still affirmed by faith what he knew to be the case. Jonah 1 reminds us that the God who created all things on both the dry land and sea is God of Heaven and earth. Such an affirmation is crucial to communicating to people the fact that He is the One to whom all creatures are accountable.
Furthermore, the fact that Jonah proclaims the name of "LORD" or "Yahweh" reminds us that this One God is the Only Savior. He is God of creation and the Lord of redemption. Following the men's casting of Jonah in to the angry waves, we discover that the storm ceases and Jonah ends up spending three-days and nights in the belly of the great fish in Jonah 1:17. Such an event truly took place due to the fact that Jesus uses it to point to what would be the event of His death, burial and resurrection in Matthew 12:40 & 16:4. In reflecting on this first chapter of the Book of Jonah, I believe we can come away with the following principles to guide us in knowing what to affirm about creation and origins of the universe, life and humanity:
1. Affirm your Christian identity.
In Jonah 1:9 we read Jonah saying: "He said to them, “I am a Hebrew....". Jonah was affirming his identity as a covenant believer in the God of Israel, which includes affirmation in the revelation of the scriptures, God's salvation promises and exclusivity of hope in God and God alone. As Christians, we must not apologize for who we are. We affirm and adhere not merely to a set of worldview commitments, but commitment to the One who frames our worldview - Jesus Christ, and the book that is Divinely inspired and discloses the truth about Him - the Bible.
2. Affirm the Divine origin of the universe, the earth and life
As we move on in Jonah 1:9 we see Jonah stating "I fear the Lord God of heaven....". Theologian and author R.C Sproul has summed up quite nicely that there are only three options when it comes to the subject of origins: either the universe is eternal, the universe created itself or God created the heavens and the earth. Amazingly when one surveys the current catalogue of secular and religious viewpoints on origins today, all positions fall under one of those three categories. A Biblical view of origins must affirm without question the Divine origin of the universe, earth and life. Furthermore, the particular God we claim to be behind all things is a specific God that has a unique identity. To affirm anything less is to swear allegiance to something else other than Biblical view of origins. So we need to affirm our Christian identity and the Divine origin of all things, but notice the third major principle we learn from Jonah and the scriptures about what we should affirm in the origins discussion....
3. Affirm the historicity of God's creation of all things
This last point comes from how Jesus Himself came to treat the book of Jonah and the event of Jonah being swallowed by the great fish. If Jonah's circumstances were nothing more than a myth or moral tale meant to impart some well-meaning lessons, then we must conclude that Jesus' own mission and identity fits in the same category. However when you consider Jesus referring to His impending death, burial and resurrection as the "sign of Jonah" in Matthew 16:4, we see that everything that occurs in Jonah's record must be regarded as historical fact.
Do we include such theological statements as Jonah's affirmation of Biblical creationism? Absolutely! Why? Because Jonah's subsequent actions and the calming of the sea are framed within the context of that affirmation. God's creation of the heavens and the earth and continuing providential maintenance of all things is a pivotal part of the account. Unless God is the Creator, he cannot be the One who is also the Source of salvation, as states later in Jonah 2:9-10.
This affirmation of the historicity of the creation event includes taking at face value the six-day creation week spelled out in Genesis 1 and the other details surrounding what God did in that week found throughout the dozens of other scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments.
To deny the historicity of the creation of the universe, the earth and life is to affirm less than what the scripture clearly reveals. Only a consistent historical belief in a literal creation can be the proper foundation for affirming belief in a literal and historical salvation once and for all accomplished by God in human flesh - Jesus Christ. As Jonah 2:9 states - But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.”
Luke 11:19-21 "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. 20 But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed."
Acts 10:38 "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."
Introduction:
We find in the Gospel records nearly ten episodes recorded of Jesus performing exorcisms on various people. Clearly such activity was a crucial part of Jesus' ministry. The question is: "Why?" Today's post will attempt to explore the texts in the Gospel records that record the instances of Jesus performing exorcisms and offer reasons behind why He did them:
1. Demonstration of His Authority
2. Delegation of His Authority
3. Deliverance from bondage
So why are the exorcisms recorded in the Gospel records so vital to understanding the ministry of Jesus Christ? Notice first of all that they....
Demonstrated His authority
Jesus Himself states in Luke 11:19 "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." That phrase "finger of God" is found throughout the Old Testament and refers to the authority or judgment of God, Yahweh Himself. In Exodus 8:19 the Egyptian magicians told Pharoah that the severity of the plagues was due to the "finger of God". In Exodus 31:19 and Deuteronomy 9:10 we see Yahweh inscribing upon the tablets of stone with His own finger - i.e the "finger of God". Clearly Jesus' statement in Luke is Him making a reference to His Divine authority. Mind you Jesus is not merely saying He casts out demons with delegated authority as an emissary of Yahweh, rather He is asserting that He Himself does so as God in human flesh!
The reader must take note that until Jesus walked this earth, no recorded incident of exorcism had ever taken place. Not even in the Old Testament do we see such a demonstration of power. Clearly the Son's incarnation into time and human flesh signified an alteration in both history and the cosmic realms. He evidenced Supreme authority in both the human and angelic realms - an authority that only God Himself can claim.
It is no wonder that in Matthew 4:24 that we see news spreading quickly about His authority over such beings. Matthew 8:16 tells us He cast out demons with just a word. In Matthew 8:29 and Mark 1:23-24 the demons thought it was the final judgment due to the fact that God in human flesh was taking authority over them as an act of judgment. We could cite several other scriptures but the point is made: Jesus cast out demons to demonstrate His authority. But notice secondly, Jesus cast out demons to delegate authority.
Delegation of authority
When Jesus called his disciples, one of His main goals was to train them and delegate to them the authority they would need to preach and lead the early church. Matthew 10:1 plainly says: "Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness." As the disciples gained ministry experience, it was clear that at times they were unsuccessful and required further instruction by Jesus. (Mark 9:38) According to Luke 10:17 Jesus had also delegated authority to 70 others.
Such patterns of delegated authority were going to be vital once Jesus ascended unto heaven and the Apostles took up the reigns of leadership in the early church. To act in Jesus' name meant they were doing His bidding with the same Holy Spirit with which He did. (Luke 4:18) Without delegated authority, the apostles and the church could not be the continuation and extension of Jesus ministry. (Acts 16:18) And so Jesus performed exorcisms to demonstrate His authority, as well as to delegate it, but notice thirdly....
Deliverance from bondage
It was quite obvious that Jesus' exorcisms served to deliver people from bondage and tyranny of affliction. In Mark 9:17ff we see a lad afflicted with a spirit that needed casted out. Only Jesus direct intervention could remedy the young man's plight. According to Mark 16:9 "Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons." Peter states in Acts 10:38 "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."
This point is important in understanding part of why the Son became incarnate. Hebrews 2:14 and 1 John 3:8 both remind us that He came to destroy the Devil's works and to set people free from bondage to fear. According to Colossians 2:14-15, such activity by Jesus in His earthly ministry set a pattern for what He would accomplish on the cross by triumphing over the demonic realm. Jesus victory over the cosmic powers was part of the multifaceted reasons behind the meaning of His atoning work. The work of delivering people from bondage was necessary, being that Satan and his forces are ever at work blinding people to the truth. Only Christ through the power of the Gospel can break people free of physical, chemical, relational and any other sort of bondage that is influenced by the Kingdom of darkness. (Acts 26:18)
Conclusion:
Today we explored why Jesus did exorcisms. Such acts were a major part of His overall ministry. We identified three primary reasons: demonstration of His authority, delegation of His authority and deliverance of people from bondage.
Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
Revelation 19:7-8 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he *said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”
Introduction:
What are the next big things that you and I can expect both now and in the future? Below is a summary list of major future events that will impact every human being living on this planet. In future posts this blogger plans on touching upon each one in greater detail. Today I will simply list six of them with some commentary on each one. If for any other reason, the hope is that such a list will cause the reader to think more closely about where they stand in relationship to the Lord in matters pertaining to life and eternity.
1. Realities of Hell, Heaven & You
The Bible clearly states that it is appointed unto man "once to die" (Hebrews 9:27). Contrary to what some may teach, there are two destinations that are reached as a result of two different types of birth. All people born into this world are deemed by scripture to be "children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:1-2). However only those who are "born-again" by the Spirit of God to saving faith can be assured of the second destination following physical death - namely heaven.
The time frame that exists between physical death and resurrection is what is called "the intermediate state". Many great Christian thinkers have pointed out that all people, whether saved or unsaved, will experience three "states": a current physical state, an intermediate state and a final eternal state. The end point of the intermediate state is of course resurrection.
The Prophet Daniel, Jesus Who is God in human flesh and the Apostle John point out that there will be a resurrection of the righteous and then a second resurrection of the wicked that will occur at the end of Christ's Millennial reign on this earth.
2. Rapture & Reward
The Bible reveals that for Christians at least, there will be two methods of exit from this world: either by physical death or rapture. What is meant by the term "rapture?" In passages such as John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 we see clear teaching on what will be Christ's "catching away" of all born-again Christians from the earth when He appears in the clouds prior to or right at the beginning of the future tribulation period.
In short the rapture will entail four main points. First Jesus will appear in the clouds at the beginning or right before the beginning of the tribulation. Second those who have died in Jesus will be resurrected into physically transformed glorified bodies. Thirdly those Christians who are living currently will experience the same immediate transformation in their physical body as well. Then lastly, all said believers are "caught away" or "raptured".1
3. Resurrection & Christ's Return
It must be understood that in connection with Christ's resurrection as the "first-fruits" (1 Corinthians 15:23), those raised at the rapture of the church (1 Thess. 4:16), the tribulation martyrs (Revelation 20:4) and Jewish martyrs of the tribulation at Christ's second coming (Revelation 20:6) all constitute under what the Bible calls "The First Resurrection" (Revelation 20:6), or "The resurrection of the righteous" (Daniel 12:2; Luke 14:14; John 5:29).
4. Reign & Kingdom age
It is in the train of the resurrection of the righteous that the Bible presents the next "big event", namely Christ's reign and His Kingdom here on earth. I won't take time to trace out every passage of scripture that refers to Christ reigning on this earth following His second coming, but it seems undoubtedly clear that such a reign will entail and earthly reign in Jerusalem (Zechariah 12-14) lasting 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-10).
5. Final Judgment
It is in this particular event we find reference to the "second resurrection" or "resurrection of the unrighteous at the end of Christ's Millennial reign in Revelation 20:11-14.
6. The Age to Come
This finale of the Bible is found in Revelation 21-22 wherein we see eternity, the New Heavens and new Earth and the Lake of Fire. Those who by God's calling and purposes of grace who believed on Jesus Christ in this current age will enjoy eternity with the Lord. Those who by their own choice rejected the Gospel and die in their sins await judgment now in Hell and will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.
Conclusion:
The point of today's post was to introduce the reader to the idea of what the Bible outlines to be the next major events for life and prophetic expectation. May these six next big things provide opportunities for the reader to reflect and seek the Lord in assurance that they are ready for what lies ahead.
Endnotes:
1. The word "rapture" is a carry-over from the Older Latin translations "rapturo" which in turn had translated from the original Greek "harpago", which means "to catch away, to snatch up").
John 5:25-28 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment."
Introduction:
In today's post we want to uncover the basic ordering of present and future events as they are communicated by Jesus in His conversation in John 5:25-29. I view the post below as a thumbnail sketch to get our thoughts in order about what Jesus and the remainder of the New Testament lays out with regards to major events. Let the reader understand that as the progress of God's revelation in scripture unfolds, further and further detail is added. Much like a sunrise on a given morning, the fingers of sunlight that reach their way across every valley, tree and home slowly but surely unfolds one detail after another. Undoubtedly Jesus Christ the Son is presenting what will be the standard general order of present and future events that are explained in further detail in later portions of the New Testament.
1. Spiritual resurrection from spiritual death now and physical resurrection later. John 5:25
Jesus states "an hour is now coming and now is". Jesus first of all speaks about what will be the believer's future resurrection at His return (and quite possibly those saints raised when Christ raised from the dead) in the statement "the hour is now coming". In seamless transition Jesus then chooses to use the language of death and resurrection ("now is") to describe the born-again experience of regeneration unto saving faith in the life of believers right now.
John Phillips on page 108 of his commentary on John notes: "The Lord's words, however, are not to be restricted to the coming literal resurrection of dead people from their graves at the sound of his voice-in itself a comprehensive claim to Deity-but they include the giving of the life of God to people, spiritually dead, who likewise hear his voice."
We can think of Jesus' opening statement as referring to the beginning point and culminating point for the Christian. The beginning point refers to the new birth or spiritual resurrection, whereby the sinner is saved in their human spirit by the Spirit's work of regeneration in saving faith. The culminating point is of course the believer's physical resurrection that will occur at Christ's coming for them in the rapture to raise those who died in Jesus out of the ground. Those saints who are living at that point will have their bodies transformed into a resurrection body. Posts in the future will speak more thoroughly on this point.
2. Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead as proof of His Deity. John 5:26
Jesus is alluding to what will be His own resurrection from the dead. His Pre-existent Divine life is viewed here too. The fact is that He is capable of overcoming death speaks of Him as God, with His ability to experience death referring to His full humanity. Thus as God He has life in and of Himself and as man He will be crucified but raise bodily from the dead.
3. Jesus' 2nd coming as the Judge. John 5:27
Now we see Jesus referring to the events surrounding His second coming. Clearly the believer's regeneration or spiritual resurrection in saving faith is connected to Christ's resurrection, since that same power that raises Him from the dead is identical to what brings sinners to saving faith - namely the Holy Spirit. (1 Peter 1:3-4).
4. The resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. John 4:28-29
As the passage closes, we see perfect symmetry between the beginning and end. The believer is viewed as experiencing a spiritual resurrection, which is tied to Christ's resurrection and thus includes a future physical resurrection for them by Christ at His second coming. (John 5:24, 28) Again let the reader be reminded by what was noted at the beginning of this post, namely that Jesus is laying out a general order of events and is not going into exquisite detail like what is stated later on in the New Testament.
From what we can tell in John 5:29, the wicked unbeliever who dies in his sins will also be resurrected as well, but not in the resurrection of the righteous. Rather there will be a second, later resurrection. Daniel 12:2 describes the difference: "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt." According to John 5:29, this second resurrection will be one unto judgment.
Acts 1:1-2 "The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen."
Whenever one travels through the book of Acts, reference is made to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit roughly 40 times. Out of those instances, one of the main ministries we find ascribed to the Holy Spirit is the ministry He has in leading the church and Christians. In today's post we want to consider what the Book of Acts has to teach us about the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Harbor lights and the Holy Spirit
Years ago I heard a wonderful preacher relate how harbor lights enable us to picture the various ways and methods the Holy Spirit uses in leading the Christian. In the picture above you see a modern day example of this notion of "harbor lights". The idea is a fairly simple one: To guide a ship safely into a harbor or up alongside a pier, a series of lights will line the length of the dock or pier. If the approaching captain sees more than one "harbor light", they know they are heading straight into the pier. However if they are aligned in the same direction as the pier or harbor, they will look at the row of lights head-on and see what appears to be one light, rather than a set of lights. In dark or foggy nights, such a system along with a light house can be useful in guiding small and large sailing vessels to their intended destination. In the Book of Acts we can discern the following "harbor lights" used by the Holy Spirit in leading and guiding individual Christians and the church as a whole.
1. Passages of scripture.
The whole book of Acts is one of the 65 other books of scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit to instruct and equip the church. If we were to liken the scripture to the lighthouse in the above illustration, we could say the scripture is the chief way in which the Holy Spirit speaks and guides His people. Jesus said the Spirit would bring back to remembrance to the Apostles all the things He had taught them. (John 16:12-13) Certainly Luke's composition of the Book of Acts under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost is proof positive of this truth. In Acts 15:28 we see the Jerusalem Council laying down instructions that were tantamount to scripture, being that they made it into the Book of Acts itself and constituted what was to be universally used in all the Gentile churches. Without the scriptures, no one could hear what the Spirit is saying at all to the churches. It is the believer's lamp unto their feet and light unto their path. (Psalm 119:105)
2. Promptings. Acts 8:29
In Acts 8:29 we see the Holy Spirit's work of prompting: "Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” This harbor light is the Spirit's activity within the Christian. As the Christian takes in the scriptures and heeds them, they begin to cultivate the ability to discern and understand those promptings of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit certainly can guide us when and where to go. For example consider Acts 8:29 "Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” There will be of course those promptings whereby the Spirit hinders or says "wait". Consider please Acts 16:7 "and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them." Why would the Spirit hinder the Apostle from making headway into a region that needed to hear the Gospel? As Luke writes on, we see the Spirit first had Paul to go into the regions of Macedonia in Acts 16 and 17. In Acts 18:19 the Spirit evidently opens the door for Paul and his companions to enter into the regions of Asia Minor, as seen by their presence in Ephesus. Such promptings are designed by the Holy Spirit to strategically place His people at various points and places so as to effect His Sovereign purposes in and through them.
Such promptings by the Holy Spirit enables the Christian to think more clearly on a matter. For example, in the wake of Paul's following the Spirit's leading, he realizes that the goal of His missionary strategy is to press into the western most boundaries of the Roman empire where the Gospel had not yet been preached. (Acts 19:21) Certainly the apostles would always check such promptings within the context of the study, preaching or hearing of God's word, as evidenced by the nearly twenty messages we find strung throughout the book of Acts. So with passages of scripture, the Spirit leads with inner promptings, but notice also how He leads through...
3. People
Acts 20:22-23 states: "And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me." Clearly the Spirit was warning Paul of what laid ahead. How is it that the Holy Spirit was "testifying to Paul" in every city? Consider Acts 21:4 "After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem."
Why would the Spirit seem to be on the one hand leading Paul eventually to Jerusalem (as He does so in Acts 21-23) and yet be speaking through people to seemingly dissuade Paul from entering into Jerusalem? The Spirit's purposes are to test Paul and to verify through people the calling of Paul. Clearly the Spirit's ultimate purpose was to get Paul to Jerusalem so that he would eventually end up testifying about Jesus in Rome. (Acts 23:11) The Spirit always affirms His will through passages of scriptures and confirms His will through promptings, people and one more area....
4. Personal situations.
As you come to the end of the Book of Acts, Paul is clearly recognizing by now that he is where he needs to be. Under house arrest in Rome, Paul takes the cue from his situation that the Spirit has brought him to Rome to preach the Gospel unhindered. (Acts 28:31) Oftentimes the Spirit will lead you and I through something that is far from comfortable and oftentimes painful. However the Spirit's dealings with us is with the view of us as having completed the task. The whole process by which the Spirit was taking Paul was from the vantage point of Acts 28. Every trial, imprisonment, beating, hardship, storm, all of it, was engineered by the Sovereign Lord to guide Paul strategically through and to lead Him to the place He had known from the beginning Paul would be.
Conclusion:
As always, the Spirit's promptings, people and particular situations, when lined up perfectly with passages of scriptures, provide an effective way for the Christian and the church to follow.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”
Introduction:
In the dust jacket of his 1956 book "immortality", we find the following brief description of Dr. Lorraine Boettner: Dr. Boettner was born on a farm in Northwest Missouri. He is a graduate of Princeton Theologicall Seminary (Th.B., 1928; Th.M, 1929), where he studied systematic theology under the late Dr. C.W Hodge. Later on the summary says: He taught Bible for eight years in Pikeville College, Kentucky."1
Dr. Boettner was a Biblically sound theologian, writer and teacher who was heralded by all who read his books and listened to his teachings. I have found his work to be generally helpful, and the piece I will be quoting from today is an example of how clear he can make any subject. The portion deals with the subject of "Three kinds of death: physical, spiritual and eternal." I think the reader will find what Dr. Boettner has to say to be illuminating and instructive.
1. Spiritual death means the separation or alienation of the soul from God. It is the principle the condition in which the Devil and the demons are, but since in this world man's descent into evil is restrained to some extent by common grace, it has not yet proceeded to such a degree of depravity as is found in them. This was the primary penalty threatened against Adam in the Garden of Eden. Since man can only truly live when in communion with God, spiritual death means his complete undoing and the continuing worsening of his condition. Later on Dr. Boettner writes: The opposite of spiritual death is spiritual life. It was this to which Jesus referred when He said to Martha: 'I am the resurrection, and the life: He that believeth on me, though He die, yet shall He live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die,' John 11:25,26. Mr. Boettner then quotes John 5:24 to further demonstrate his point.
2. Physical Death means the separation of the soul from the body. This, too, is a part of the penalty for sin, although, as indicated in the preceeding section, it is not the important part. In contrast with the angels, man was created with a dual nature, a spirit united with a body. He receives information through the avenue of the senses. His body is the organ through which he makes contact with other human beings and with the world about him."2
Later on Dr. Boettner writes: "At death man's body, which is composed of some thirty different chemical elements, returns to the earth from which was taken. This phase of death, too, was conquered by Christ when He made atonement for the sins of His people, for they eventually receive a gloriously restored resurrection body."
3. Eternal death is spiritual death made permanent. 'This,' says Dr. Berkhof (another conservative theologian), 'may be regarded as the culmination and completion of spiritual death. The restraints of the present fall away, and the corruption of sin has its perfect work.
Later on Dr. Boettner says regarding physical death vs eternal death: "The first death is physical, and it awaits every human being. The second death is spiritual, and it awaits only those who are outside of Christ. It is the eternal separation of the individual from God, and it results in the eternal punishment of those whose names are not written in the Book of life (Rev. 20:12-15). In another connection the Bible speaks of a new birth, which in reality is a spiritual re-birth: 'Ye must be born anew,' John 3:3,7. Those who are born only once, the physical birth, die twice, a physical and a spiritual or eternal death. Those who are born twice die only once, the physical death. These latter are the Lord's redeemed."
As Dr. Boettner writes on regarding some amazing insights into what the scripture teaches on the this subject, we come to this concluding thought: "As a result of the redemption accomplished by Christ the death of the body becomes for His people the gateway to heaven, a transition by which they move out of the body and into the presence of the Lord. It has lost its sting. 'Death is swallowed up in victory," 1 Corinthians 15:54.
Endnotes:
1. Loraine Boettner. Immortality. 1956.
2. Just as a minor point, I would assert that human beings are three-part beings (body, spirit and soul).
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.Introduction: On Tuesday night, February 4, 2014 a major debate took place between two public figures regarding the question: "Is creation a viable model of origins in today's scientific era". Tom Forman from CNN moderated the debate, Bill Nye "The Science Guy" (pictured on the right) advocated the position that creation is not a viable model for origins. Ken Ham, CEO of "Answers in Genesis Ministries" (pictured on the left) represented the affirmative answer to the question. The point of today's post is to simply evaluate the debate along the lines of their respective approaches to origins and science, the overall strengths and weaknesses of each side's position with a final section on where this blogger stands on the issue.
1. Bill Nye and Ken Ham's respective approaches to origins and scienceWhen we examine the approaches Nye and Ham take on the issue of origins and science, we find obvious differences and a surprising similarity. Bill Nye of course advocates that the universe, life and humanity arose from materialistic processes. Such a position, called "materialism" or "naturalism", is the majority report among the scientific community. Ken Ham on the other hand takes the position that the universe, life and humanity arose from the intervention and creative abilities of The All-Powerful, Intelligent God as revealed in the Bible.
As the debate began, each man had 30 minutes to lay the ground work for their respective approaches. Ken Ham made the distinction between "origins science" and "operational science". Such a distinction, according to Ham, recognizes that whatever events transpired in history to originate the universe, life and humanity were not witnessed, nor are repeatable, and thus frame how we will interpret the data and evidence of science. For Ham, two views of origins science were represented in the debate: his view of creationism vs Bill Nye's naturalistic narrative of origins.
It was clear that Nye disagreed with Ham's two-fold distinction and rather opted for placing origins and the everyday task of the scientific method together. Hence, throughout the debate Nye clearly equates naturalism with science, and science with naturalism. In the course of the debate Nye clearly demonstrated that the Big Bang theory and the biological reckoning of evolution sit upon the same naturalistic premises.
Towards the end of the debate, Bill Nye quite ably spelled out how evolution is a "bottom's-up" approach, meaning that by the mechanism of natural selection, the universe and life itself proceed from the less complex to the greater complex, with the best and strongest out-doing the lesser and the weaker. Ken Ham likewise did an excellent job in summarizing his stance as the "Top-down approach", talking about how God is the Ultimate origin of the universe, life, humanity, man, woman, marriage, sin, death and government. Essentially Ham re-produced from memory a working outline of the first 11 chapters of Genesis as the basis for his approach to origins and science.
As I said a moment ago, both men clearly had differences in their respective approaches to origins and science, however there was one clear point of similarity that is worth pointing out to the reader. In the study of the respective positions held on the relationship between science and Christian theology at the worldview level we find four major views, with two of them representing extremes and two representing middle approaches.
The first is that the worldviews undergirding science and faith are in conflict. The second view, a mediating position, states that the realms of science and faith are somewhat compatible. The third view, another mediating position, states that both are in concordance or in a high-level of compatability with one another. Then the fourth, which represents the other extreme opposite of conflict, is that both the realms of faith and science are essentially one and the same or what is called a compromise. In this fourth viewpoint, faith or theology is to be revised in light of the latest scientific discoveries. The four views can be diagrammed below with Nye and Ham identified as fitting under the conflict position:
A diagram of Science & Theology at the worldview level - an overview of how their relationship is viewed
CONFLICT ---SMALL COMPATIBILITY--CONCORDANCE---COMPROMISE
Bill Nye & Ken Ham hold to a conflict view. Let the reader note this similarity since it explains why both men were at many points talking past one another. In typical debates on the subject of origins, whenever both opponents hold to a conflict view, the likelihood of each one convincing the other (outside of the Holy Spirit's illuminating work of course) is diminishingly small.
2. The strength's and weaknesses of each side's presentation
In reflecting on various portions of the debate, the weaknesses of each side will first be noted, followed by a few strength's on each side. In regards to Nye's weaknesses in his position, the repeated statement of the earth being only 4,000 years old as his basis for critique of Ham was an oversight. As this reviewer kept listening to his side and watching the visuals he presented, I kept wondering if he had in mind the 17th century Bishop James' Usher's calculation of the beginning of creation as being 4004 b.c. As this was a major weakness for Nye, the related weakness of Ham not pointing that out to Nye was also notable.
About two hours into the debate when asked about the issue of the origin of human consciousness, Nye's inability to give an answer to that question clearly shows the limitations of his naturalistic worldview to account for consciousness' existence. There was a point in the debate where Nye challenged Ham to explain how the Ark could had made it through a year-long world-wide flood by citing the construction of a 19th century wooden schooner that sank in the high seas. Ham could had cited findings conducted on scientific studies of the Ark in showing how it was built to withstand such pressures that are contained on his website. Unfortunately Ham ended up not addressing Nye's point. Flood Geology and the belief in a worldwide flood represents a cornerstone in the Young Earth position. Most likely the time constraints of the debate explain why Ham did not further silence Nye's objections.
Other points could be cited from each side in regards to weaknesses here and there, however let me note something to the reader about what can happen in the context of a public debate. Having participated in public debates in the past, there are those moments and opportunities that are easily missed. I know some other people in commenting on the debate have leveled undo criticism against Ken Ham. To counter-balance my above assessment on the weaknesses of each man's presentation, I can testify first-hand that both men are probably thinking through what they could of said but didn't.
With regards to the strengths for each side, Ham did a fantastic job of answering Nye's point of the problem of reconciling the age problem of cosmic distances and the age of the universe by pointing out that Big Bang Cosmology also has the same problem. To me that was one of the smartest and most strategic moves in the debate. Ham's video interviews of legitimate and published scientists who were creationists demonstrated, at least indirectly, that creation science can both explain and predict, something of which Nye chose to ignore. Nye's choice to not include statements from such evolutionists as Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens was wise on his part, being that those men are far more corrosive in their public outcry against creationism than Nye.
Nye of course kept challenging Ham to produce one example of creationism making consistent predictions about the course of biological life or outcomes of physical processes in the universe. Ham had of course early on in the debate shown that certain creation scientists, with earned PhD's and tenured positions and peer-review had invented things such as medical equipment and satellites.
Both men seemed at one point in the debate to be lobbing list upon list of evidences for their respective positions. It was very clear that both men at times were talking past one another, however both men were able to avoid the ad hominem or attack on each other's character that can typically characterize such exchanges. Though some may not agree, Ham's repeated presentations of the Gospel and showing the redemptive direction that creation points towards was clearly a major strength in his case from a Christian perspective.
So did Ken Ham demonstrate that creationism is a viable model for origins in today's scientific era?
So much more could be pointed out about the 2 hour and 45 minute debate. Of course the big question is: so who won? When assessing a debate, its not like looking on a score board to determine a winner or a loser. Rather we must consider the original question that framed the debate and determine whether or not the question was successfully answered by Ken Ham. Many people felt that having the debate at the creation museum was a major disadvantage for Bill Nye. However the burden of proof laid on the shoulder's of Ken Ham, and so in reality having the venue to be Ken Ham's creation Museum was fitting when considering the topic for that night.
If we refer back to the original question that framed the debate: "Is creation a viable model of origins in today's scientific era?", then it would be the assessment of this Blogger that Ken Ham demonstrated that creationism can indeed explain and predict. The high point in the debate for Ham's presentation has been already mentioned: namely in how he dealt with the question about the origin of human consciousness. Nye's inability to answer the question and to brush it aside demonstrates that Ham's creation model is indeed a viable model for origins in the 21st century context.
With Ham's numerous examples of what creationists have done in recent times as well as citing creationist scientists of the past (such as Isaac Newton, James Maxwell and Michael Faraday), Ham made his case. Ham did an excellent job in representing the young earth creationist position and defending it against a seasoned and articulate spokesperson for the often-times militant viewpoint of naturalistic biological evolution.
3. Where this blogger stands on the issue and conclusion
I will make my comments brief in this final section, being that the point of this post is to assess the recent debate. For quite a number of years I had held the belief that the universe, life and humanity itself was billions of years old. I was at one time an advocate of Big-Bang Cosmology and yet never embraced the evolutionary account of origins as articulated by Bill Nye. Thankfully the Lord began showing me through the scriptures the inconsistency I had in advocating Big Bang Cosmology on the one hand and belief in a world-wide flood and denial of naturalistic biological evolution on the other. Years ago I abandoned my particular position on old earth creationism in favor of the young-earth model that is similar to the one articulated by Ken Ham. I mention this to state that there is no such thing as a position of neutrality on this subject.
One's worldview will function like a pair of tinted glasses when viewing a given body of evidence. Does that mean we can never know the truth whether it be in theology or science? No. But what it does mean is that we must take into account that one's worldview does shape one's approach to life and knowledge. Truly whichever worldview is able to most comprehensively and coherently account for why things are the way they are is the worldview to embrace. For this blogger, a worldview built from scripture, with particular emphasis on the young earth perspective, is the best account for the origin of the universe, life and humanity. The Ultimate Cause for all things derives from One All-powerful, all knowing Triune God of scripture.
