P1 Seeing Eternity beyond this life - 2 Peter

2 Peter 1:3 "seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."

Introduction and review
Yesterday's post attempted to connect the dots between absolute moral standards, The Existence of The Divine Moral Lawgiver and the Eternal realities of Heaven and Hell. 2 Peter has been the launching point of our discussion over the last two posts. We ended yesterday with the following logic:

1. Moral standards includes definitions of right and wrong, justice and injustice and their associated consequences 

2. Universal Moral Standards point to The Eternal Moral Law Giver Who Defines Right and Wrong both in this life and eternity

3. Universal Moral Standards also point to The Eternal Moral Law Giver Who is the Standard of Justice and Injustice both in this life and eternity

4. Hence the associated consequences play out in both this life and eternity. 

That last statement of course points to why it is we see the scriptures teaching about the eternal destinies of Heaven and Hell. To deny the eternal realities of heaven and hell requires us then to also deny the realities of moral absolutes and thus requires us to either diminish our view of God or to deny the Biblical revelation of God altogether. 

Today I want us to begin delving further into the actual argument of Peter in his 2nd letter. This little letter of Peter's is quite significant in understanding how we see eternity beyond this life. Peter clearly draws the connecting points between how we relate to the God of eternity in this life and our eternal destination in the next life. We will sketch out Peter's main points today and then look at them in more detail tomorrow.

1. Physical and spiritual life are rooted in God.  2 Peter 1:3-9 

2. Eternity in Heaven follows from your relationship with God. 2 Peter 1:10-12

3. Eternity in Hell results from your final rejection of God. 2 Peter 2:1-2,10,15; 3:16

4. Eternity with you is the desire of God. 2 Peter 3:9, 10-12

More tomorrow.....

Morality, The Moral Law Giver and Eternity beyond this life

2 Peter 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

Introduction and review:

Yesterday we considered how moral absolutes point the way to demonstrating the reality and existence of God. We also noted that in such a "Moral Argument" for the existence of God, we are affirming two fundamental truths: that our universe is a physical reality that includes moral absolutes (i.e a moral universe) and that the same God who made the universe is the Law Giver of those absolutes. 2 Peter 1:3a was a launching point for the discussion since Peter points out that God's Divine power is responsible for giving everything that is needed for physical and spiritual life. 

Today's post is continuing on from where we ended yesterday. We want to go further in taking what we learned about the moral argument for God's existence and showing how morality not only points to the Moral Law Giver, but also in establishing the existence of the Moral law giver, this necessarily leads to the teaching of an eternity beyond this life. 

Connecting the dots between morality, the Moral Law-Giver and Eternality beyond this life

The Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1:3-11 draws a very important connection to God the Moral Law giver/Redeemer and the salvation that comes from Him (2 Peter 1:3-4) and the eternal destinies of believers in Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:11) and unbelievers (2 Peter 2:2,17,20). Elsewhere in the scriptures, particular Paul's writings, we see a similar line of reasoning in Romans 2:

1. The Eternal Moral Law giver/Redeemer. Romans 2:1-4

2. Moral absolutes from the Lawgiver revealed in the human heart. Romans 2:12-15 (note verse 15)

3. Eternal consequences for people based upon their relationship to the Eternal Lawgiver/Redeemer. Romans 2:5-11

Both Apostles Peter and Paul agree that there is a line connecting the moral absolutes we see in this world to the God Who made them to the eternal destiny of human beings who go to heaven or hell. 

To flesh this thought out further, Christian Apologist Dr. Norman Geisler's summary of C.S Lewis' moral argument for the existence of God is worth noting:

1. There must be a universal moral law, or else: (a) Moral disagreements would make no sense, as we all assume they do. (b) All moral criticisms would be meaningless (e.g the Nazis were wrong). (c) It is unnessary to keep promises or treaties, as well all assume that it is. (d) We would not make excuses for breaking the moral law, as well all do.

2. But a univesal moral law requires a universal Moral Law Giver, since the Source of it: (a) Gives moral commands (as law givers do). (b) Is interested in our behavior (as law givers are)

3. Further, this Universal Moral Law Giver must be absolutely good: (a) Otherwise all moral effort would be absolutely futile in the long run, since we would be sacrificing our lives for what is not ulitmatley right. (b) the source of all good must be absolutely good, since the standard of all good must be completely good. 

4. Therefore there must be an absolutely Good Moral Lawgiver.

The implications of connecting the dots between moral absolutes, God and eternity beyond this life

The implications from these verses are that since their are universal moral standards pointing the to the existence of a moral lawgiver; and since moral standards in general include the idea of consequences; then it stands to reason there would be eternal consequences dealt out on the basis of how one is related to the Righteous Law Giver. 

To put it in a logical sequence of statements:

1. Moral standards includes definitions of right and wrong, justice and injustice and their associated consequences 

2. Universal Moral Standards point to The Eternal Moral Law Giver Who Defines Right and Wrong both in this life and eternity

3. Universal Moral Standards also point to The Eternal Moral Law Giver Who is the Standard of Justice and Injustice both in this life and eternity

4. Hence the associated consequences play out in both this life and eternity. 

That last statement of course points to why it is we see the scriptures teaching about the eternal destinies of Heaven and Hell. To deny the eternal realities of heaven and hell requires us then to also deny the realities of moral absolutes and thus requires us to either diminish our view of God or to deny the Biblical revelation of God altogether. 

More tomorrow....

Why Universal, Moral Truths point to the existence of God

2 Peter 1:3  "seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."

Review from last week: We live in a physical universe created by God
In last week's posts we had spent considerable time looking at how we see evidence for eternity in this world. Paul's masterful sermon to the Greek philosophers in Acts 17:16-34 was the text from which we based out study. We see four areas from which we see evidence for God's Eternal existence:

1). Creation declares eternity. Acts 17:22-25

2). Humanity discerns eternity. Acts 17:26-29

3). The Bible defines eternity. Acts 17:30

4). Jesus Christ demonstrates eternity. Acts 17:31

Paul's sermons utilized features of the created order, humanity, the scriptures and the life of Jesus Christ to arrive at the firm conclusion of the fact of God's eternal existence. Knowing about God and the truth of His eternal existence is the property of inherent understanding within every human being born into this world. (See Romans 1:18-20) To put it bluntly, all people are born with an understanding about God and must go to schools specializing in the denial of such a universal truth to affirm Atheism. 

In using these arguments, the Apostle Paul demonstrated from general revelation that the same God revealing Himself in general (in creation and in humanity) also revealed Himself specifically (i.e special revelation) in the written Word of the Bible (Acts 17:30) and the Living Word Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31).

In understanding we live in a physical world created by God, we necessarily understand that we live in a moral universe created by God
For some readers, hearing arguments for the existence from God from either the universe and the created order or from the internal make-up and assumptions of human beings may come off as impersonal and disconnecting. The big question of "so what?" can certainly be applied here by some, being that many people today operate under the assumption that they can live as they want, whether or not they believe in God. 

This is where it is vital to point out the fact that in defining the nature of our world and ourselves, we must at some point deal with the nature of morality and ethics. Why? Because obviously, life is lived out and choices are made everyday by people in this world. Is it true that there is one ultimate standard of right and wrong, justice and injustice, truth and error? Such questions lead us to consider the issue of morality and the fact that we live in a moral universe. To say we live in a "moral universe" is not saying that the universe is a "personal entity" or "god-like". Rather, when I say we live in a "moral universe", I am simply stating that we live in a universe that is not only governed by physical, universal laws made by God, but also morally universal laws that point to the existence of The Moral Lawgiver. 

By aknowledging the fact we live not only in a physical universe, but a moral one, leads to the understanding that the question of morality necessarily leads us to yet another way of demonstrating the existence of God. 

Briefly stating the moral argument for God's existence
Over the centuries various Christian thinkers have formulated what is commonly called "The Moral Argument for the existence of God". Space does not permit the tracing out of the various thinkers and their expressions of this powerful argument. However one modern day Christian thinker by the name of Dr. William Lane Craig represents a fine example of such an argument, as gleaned from his article on the moral argument: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/formulating-the-moral-argument 

1. If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist.

2. Objective moral values and duties do exist.

3. Therefore, God exists.

Why the moral argument for God's existence is so-powerful
Whenever we look at the above argument, it is very clear that the existence of an All-powerful, All-good, Personal and Intelligent Creator is necessary in order for their to be objective or universal standards of right and wrong. 

Why does this argument make sense? Think for a moment what consistutes a universal and objective moral standard? Is it wrong, for instance, to do physical harm to babies? Answers to such questions are answered affirmatively with a "yes" across all cultures. When an individual or society chooses to harm infants, that is regarded as an injustice or an evil. When anyone, even an atheist or skepic, raises the problem of the so-called "problem of evil", the unstated assumption is that there must be a corresponding "all-good". 

If it be agreed upon that universal right and wrong exists, what then is the nature of such standards? They are not physical, but "non-physical". No one can drive to a ware-house wherein is stored physical objects called "right" and "wrong". These are immaterial, non-physical properties that everyone, whether they like it or not, whether they agree or not, know deep down inside to exist. 

Another Christian thinker, the late Dr. Greg Bahnsen, has noted that universal moral laws are not only universal and non-physical, but also unchanging. So for example, if it is wrong to do physical harm to infants today, we know that it was wrong at the beginning of history and that it will remain wrong for as long as humanity endures. The big question in all of this is: Why? Who says so? Why is it that such moral absolutes truly characterize the world in which we live? 
  
As both Drs. Craig and Bahnsen point out, if there were no Divine Law-Giver, there would be no universal laws. To see the absurdity of an opposing argument is to actually demonstrate our point. For instance, the most popular belief today suggests that human beings in ancient times came up with a handful of laws to ensure the continuation of the human species. However, even if such a scenario did take place, it does not answer the question from whence such an imaginary agreement got the idea, or why they felt those rules were better than their opposites. 

Based upon the atheistic, materialist worldview that typically proposes such a scenario, if we are the sum total of the electrical impulses in our brains, then ideas such as morality and meaning would be indiscernable from immorality and non-meaning. Atheistism, materialism and skepticism cannot make sense of why we have morality from their own assumptions. Ultimately, such worldviews lead to absurdity and thus leaves us with the only alternative that makes sense: proof for the existence of God.   

Closing thoughts
This is why the existence of universal, moral truths point to the existence of God. As Peter writes at the beginning of His second letter: "Seeing that His Divine Power has granted us everything that pertains to life...". We know of course the rest of the verse and the chapter deals with the spiritual life of the Christian, as well as the matter of physical life. With the affirmation that that God created the world and moral absolutes as seen in the general revelation of creation, Peter is saying that this same God is responsible for the salvation of every believer specifically revealed in His word. 

Discerning God's truth from religious counterfeits

Isaiah 41:21-23 “Present your case,” the Lord says.“Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says. 22 Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; 23 Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together."

Introduction

So then how do we know that Jesus Christ and the Bible are not merely superior to all other would-be contenders, but alone consistutes the truth of God's revelation of Himself with regards to salvation and eternity? The passage above lays out a two fold test, with Isaiah 42:1 mentioning a third test for discerning what is ultimate, eternally saving truth. Isaiah 42:1 states: “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations." We know from other scriptures that Isaiah is referring to the Messiah Jesus Christ. From these passages we can discern the following three-fold test you can use in evaluating and critiquing other worldviews and religions outside of Christianity that claim to be eternal, saving truth. The below three-fold test is but a bare outline of this test and is not meant to be exhaustive. 

1. Test of historical reliability. Isaiah 41:21-22

Does the proposed religion or worldview accurately describe history? Historical reliability in a given relgious document is a bare-minimum requirement, but an important one. If the so-called holy book does not give an accurate account of the past, then how can I trust it to tell me accurate information about my present life?

2. Test of fulfilled prophecy. Isaiah 41:23

When a said document, worldview or religion claims to be divinely inspired, the number one way to test that claim is if it accurately predicts future events, and has examples of fullfilled prophecy verified outside of the document. 

3. Test of leading a person to salvation. Isaiah 42:1

Does the given document lead me to a right relationship with the true and living God? In as much as we have labored the past several posts in identifying the true and living God as revealed by and in the risen Son, the only true salvation can result in being reconciled to the Father. 

To be counted as God's truth, all three of the above tests must be passed. If any one of the above tests fail, then that worldview, religion or alleged holy book is shown to not be God's truth revealed - i.e His Word. Only one book as ever passed all three tests - the Bible. Furthermore, only One person in history has passed all three tests - Jesus Christ. All other religions, worldviews or so-called holy books are counterfeits and incapable of qualifying as God's authoritative truth for life and eternity. 

The importance of Christ's resurrection in Christian apologetics

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

Introduction:

The past several days was dedicated to seeing how we observe eternity in this life. We noted that eternity is declared in creation, discerned in humanity, defined in the Bible and demonstrated in Jesus Christ. No other event or Christian doctrine is more proclaimed, more attacked and more crucial than Christ's resurrection from the dead.  To get our footing on how Jesus' resurrection is communicated and how it is typically defended against critics, I will note four key areas of consideration that must be considered when talking about Jesus' resurrection from the dead:

1. His burial

2. The empty tomb

3. Post resurrection appearances to His followers

4. Changed lives

What top Christian apologists or defenders of the Christian faith say about Jesus' resurrection from the dead

Three of the top Christian Apologists today list the above four areas in their short list of what consistitutes the essence of the Biblical narrative of Christ's resurrection from the dead.  I want the reader to note the last element in each of their listings, since the importance of Jesus' post-resurrected appearances will be discussed toward the end of this post.

First Josh McDowell in his book: "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" lists the following elements of what he calls "the resurrection scene":1

1. Jesus was dead

2. The tomb

3. The burial

4. The stone

5. The seal

6. The guard

7. The disciples

8. The post-resurrection appearances 

The second Christian apologist, Liberty University Professor Gary Habermas, lists out a very similar short list in the argument he gives for the Resurrection that he calls the "minimal facts argument":2

1. The burial

2. The empty tomb

3. Post resurrection appearances

4. Changed lives (especially of the Apostle Paul).

Dr. Habermas' argument leans heavily on Paul's statements in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10, noting that the material represents early information that takes the reader back to within a year after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  

The third Christian Apologist who argues for the historicity and reliability of the resurrection accounts of Jesus Christ is Dr. William Lane Craig, a world renowned expert and debater who frequently debates critics attacking the Bible.  In his presentations, I have heard Dr. Craig list in a similar fashion the following essential elements to the account of Jesus' resurrection from the dead:

1. The burial

2. The empty tomb

3. The post resurrection appearances

4. The changed lives of the disciples

5. The conversion of the Apostle Paul

The reader can check out Dr. Craig's material at www.reasonablefaith.com.

The one area among these elements that merits further focus and explanation

In past posts over the years we have explored the great resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 and have aimed to unpack and proclaim all that Paul has to say in his masterful explanation and defense of the resurrection.  Certainly the Gospel accounts have also been the focus of past blogs on this subject, wherein we have talked about the crucifixion, burial and empty tomb.  

In listening to such fine articulators of the Christian faith above like McDowell, Habermas and Craig, as well as reading wonderful books and articles written by able Bible teachers, it has come to my attention that the way in which Jesus' post-resurrection appearances changed lives is worthy of consideration. Exploring how the post resurrected Jesus radically changed the lives of his disciples in the wake of His resurrection, as well as how He is still changing lives today lends immense credibility to the truth of the resurrection narratives. 

What we observe in the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus

Whenever we consider the four Gospel records, the Book of Acts and 1 Corinthians 15, we find exactly one dozen episodes featuring Christ's post resurrection appearances.  Furthermore, we find three common themes among them all:

1. Desperate condition of the people before His appearances

2. Direct encounter with the Risen Christ appearances themselves

3. Dramatic change that resulted from the appearances

Eight individuals or groups stand out in these post-resurrection appearance narratives, what we could call "post-resurrection profiles". 

1. Mary Magdelene

2. Peter

3. Emmaus Road Disciples

4. Thomas

5. The Disciples in general

6. Group of 500 people

7. James, the half brother of Jesus 

8. Paul

In scanning over these eight people or groups, we discover that in each case, their lives before, during and after each post-resurrection appearance leads to the conclusion that Christ indeed not only raised from the dead, but is alive and operating among His people.  Such post-resurrection power is the basis for the salvation and Christian growth of every Christian living today.  

Closing thought

The importance of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances cannot be over-estimated.  Not only is such a truth a vital component in communicating and defending the truth of Jesus' resurrection from the dead, but also is vital in explaining how Jesus is able to change lives today. In closing, this is why we come across such statements as 1 Peter 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." May we think on such truths and live our lives for the living, risen and exalted Jesus Christ!

Endnotes:

1. Josh McDowell. Evidence that Demands a Verdict - Volume 1. Here's Life Publishers. Page 189.

2. Dr. Habermas' minimal facts presentation can be found at the following link at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay_Db4RwZ_M

Eternity is demonstrated by Jesus Christ

Acts 17:31 "because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Introduction and review
These last several days have been dedicated to exploring the evidence we see for eternity in this world. We have been exploring Paul's sermon that he preached before a crowd of skeptical Athenian philosophers at Mars Hill in Acts 17. This particular sermon of Paul's is important due to the fact he deals with the subject of seeing God's eternal nature and Person demonstrated in this world. Thus far we have considered the following main points:

1). Eternity is declared in creation. Acts 17:22-25

2). Eternity is discerned in humanity. Acts 17:26-29

3). Eternity is defined in the Bible. Acts 17:30

The audience to which Paul preached was moreso about finding fulfillment in this life and doing it all by themselves. Both the Epicureans and Stoics had worldviews that would correspond today to the atheism and agnositicism we see so prevalent in movies, books and culture. 

Main point of application: As we again about the subject of eternity, I point the reader it to a simple diagram featuring the name of God and two arrows doing out in either direction:
<--------------GOD--------------->
Why did Paul focus on this theme of eternity in his message? The point of application for this post, and really this blog series is: It is important how you respond to eternity in this life. Today we want to consider how Jesus Christ demonstrates the reality of eternity as seen already thus far in the course of this series. 

Eternity is demonstrated by Jesus Christ

Acts 17:31

Paul writes in Acts 17:31 "because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” The Biblical presentation of Jesus Christ is that He was One Person who being fully Divine from all eternity came to take upon Himself a fully human nature. (Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 10:4-5). Paul's emphasis here in Acts 17:31 underscores several undeniable truths that rise or fall together:

1. The reality of God (which we have established in the first three blogs of this series).

2. The reality of Jesus Christ (the focus of today's post)

3. The reality of Jesus' resurrection from the dead (which ties together the first two realities).

First, as Paul is winding down his address to these skeptical philosophers at Mars Hill, what began as an establishment of specific truth claims about God's eternal existence as demonstrated in creation, discerned in humanity and declared by the Bible becomes now an assumed given. Paul plainly states in Acts 17:31a "because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness...". This profound point not only tells us that this God is the beginner of all things, but also the completer of them. 

Next Paul asserts the historical reality of Jesus the man. Why underscore Jesus' humanity? Remember the audience to whom Paul spoke. The Epicurians believed that any truth worth knowing had to had verified direct evidence by experience through the senses. Stoics prized reason and the ability to arrive of conclusions on one's own as the best approach. Certainly the people of Paul's day had such direct evidence: eyewitness testimony of Jesus' life and the undebatable truth of Jesus' crucifixion. 

This naturally and seamlessly leads to the third reality of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Paul states in Acts 17:31b "through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”  The post-resurrection appearances and the dramatic growth of the early Christian movement would had been used by the early Christians, including Paul, to bolster the claims of Jesus Christ as being God in human flesh and thus the reality of eternity as demonstrated by Him. Such lines of argumentation are still used today in establishing the importance of Jesus' historical existence and the reality of His resurrection from the dead. 

Christian Apologist Dr. William Lane Craig lays out the following powerful argument that ties together proof for God's existence and the reality of Jesus' resurrection from the dead in his address "The Evidence for God" see link: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/media/the-evidence-for-god-imperial-college-london

1. There are three established facts regarding Jesus' resurrection from the dead: the discovery of the empty tomb, His post-mortem appearances and the disciples' faith in His resurrection from the dead.

2. The proposed idea or hypothesis of God raising Jesus from the dead is the best explanation of these facts

3. God's raising Jesus from the dead entails that the God raising Jesus from the dead exists

4. Therefore the God revealed by Jesus of Nazareth does exist.

Why is the Apostle's Paul's concluding point of his sermon on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the final judgment such an appropriate landing place for seeing the evidence of eternity in this world? Because in the Person of Jesus Christ both the Eternal nature of God and the physical nature of humanity  

meet. Moreover, with the historical existence and resurrection of Jesus being firmly established events, this brings the issue of eternity from the realm of the abstract to the necessity of every reader to respond appropriately to the mounting evidence of God's Eternal Presence and their need for salvation in Jesus Christ.

Closing thoughts
We have spent these past several posts considering how it is we see evidence for eternity in this life. As we considered Paul's sermon to the philosophers of Mars Hill in Acts 17, we noted the following four headings:
1). Creation declares eternity Acts 17:22-25

2). Mankind discern eternity Acts 17:26-29

3). Bible defines eternity Acts 17:30

4). Jesus demonstrates eternity Acts 17:31

Paul closes out his sermon and the response from his audience is anything but neutral. Acts 17:32-34 states - "Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, somebegan to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” 33 So Paul went out of their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them."

Eternity is defined by the Bible

Acts 17:30-31  "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 



Introduction and review
We have been exploring Paul's sermon that he preached before a crowd of skeptical Athenian philosophers at Mars Hill in Acts 17. This particular sermon of Paul's is important due to the fact he deals with the subject of seeing God's eternal nature and Person demonstrated in this world. 

Paul had his hands full by the time he arrived at Mars Hill. He faced a crowd of skeptics, cynics and thinkers who treated His message as nothing more than another intellectual oddity of first century life. The audience to which Paul preached was moreso about finding fulfillment in this life and doing it all by themselves. Both the Epicureans and Stoics had worldviews that would correspond today to the atheism and agnosticism we see so prevalent in movies, books and culture. 

Main point of application: As we think about the subject of eternity, I point the reader it to a simple diagram featuring the name of God and two arrows doing out in either direction:
<--------------GOD--------------->
Why did Paul focus on this theme of eternity in his message? The point of application for this post, and really this blog series is: It is important how you respond to eternity in this life. We have seen thus far in the previous two posts that eternity is declared in creation and discerned in the heart of man. We will continue further by seeing evidence for God's existence as the Eternal, Personal Creator and Redeemer by noting how eternity is declared in the Bible. 

Eternity is defined by the Bible
Notice what Luke writes about Paul's next statement in Acts 17:30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent". Notice the phrase: "God is now declaring". Presupposed in Paul's statement is the notion that the very God Whom He has been laboring to show as existing and personal in Eternity has the capability to speak and reveal His will to human beings. Furthermore, God is not only a talking God Who reveals His Deity in creation and in the human heart, but He is a God Who reveals Himself in written words. 

Now at this point some readers may question the validity of what I just wrote. It is pretty clear that as a Christian I will claim that the Bible alone is worthy of the title: "Word of God". Many people today question this claim due to the fact that the Bible is not the only book that claims itself to be God's word or "Divinely inspired". It is only fair to ask: "how do you know that the Bible is God's Word, when other books make such a claim"?

Three simple tests can demonstrate whether or not a given document is divinely inspired: Accuracy in regards to history (Isaiah 41:21-22); Accuracy in regards to prophecy (Isaiah 41:23) and Ability to lead someone to salvation in Jesus Christ (Deut 13:12-15; Romans 10:1-8).

First, if a document claims Divine inspiration, then at bare minimum it ought to be reliable in regards to how it records history. The Book of Mormon for instance claims that Jesus made various appearances in America to specific tribes of Indians who were supposedly descended from Abraham and the Jews. However, there is not one shred of evidence historically, genetically or archaeologically to support the Book of Mormon's historical record. On the other hand the Bible's recording of historical events has been verified by dozens of archaeological and ancient manuscript excavations. 

What about a document's ability to predict the future accurately? In having read through all of the major religious documents of major world religions, one can certainly find each of them claiming some level of divine inspiration. However when it comes to predictive fulfilled prophecy, the Bible alone evidences not just one or two examples, but dozens and hundreds. The Islamic holy book called the Quran has not one example off fulfilled prophecy, neither does the Book of Mormon, the Hindu Vedas, the writings of Buddha nor any other so-called relgious document. On the other hand we see Jesus for example predicting in detail in Matthew 24 the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and its temple. That prediction came true some 40 years after the fact and is verified in the writings of Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus. 

Then of course the third mark of divine inspiration would be that the given document is used by God to bring about the salvation of someone hearing it or reading it. Now think about what we have discussed in this blog series thus far: Eternity is declared in creation and discerned in humanity. With God's existence being firmly established in what we see in the general revelation of creation and the human heart, we then saw that this God is a God Who communicates. With the Bible alone demonstrating its Divine authority as historical reliable and prophetically accurate, then there can be no plausible reason to deny its authority on matters pertaining to salvation.

As the apostle Paul states in Acts 17:30 - "God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent", that message has been repeated by God throughout the Old Testament and is now being amplified in the writings of the New Testament and specified by the coming of Jesus Christ. To repent of something means I change my mind on how I view my sin and Jesus Christ. With the Bible being established to be uniquely qualified as the sole word of God in this world, then it stands to reason that if one believes eternity to be declared in the Bible, the matter of salvation must then be responded to, rendering such a person accountible to its message. As we have been saying this whole time in our series: "It is important how you respond to eternity in this life."

More tomorrow...